The Nebulon Conundrum
by culturegeek76
Summary: AU, All Humanoid. Sci-Fi. Sookie is en route to a wedding. What will happen when her ship is invaded by slave-seeking aliens? Who will rescue her from her fate? Eric/Sookie, eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**_Prologue_**

I was en route to a wedding I had no interest in attending: my own.

I stared out my room's portal at the twin moons of Einomere, feeling rather sorry for myself. In that moment, I had no idea my life was about to change dramatically. If I'd thought getting married when I didn't want to was already a dramatic event, soon I would realize the error of my ways.

As I stood there, pondering possible means of escape, there was no way I could have predicted the events that would unfold in the coming months. There was nothing in that moment to reveal what the fates had already set in motion.

**Chapter 1**

My name is Sookie Stackhouse. I was born on a planet in the southern galaxies of Louisiana. My mother and father were both descended from the immigrants that had first settled the planet. They were very proud of their heritage, and placed a lot of importance on their traditional cultural values. Unlike most of the people on my home planet, my parents came from a society that placed a lot of emphasis on the separation of the gender roles. Men worked, while women produced babies and ran the home. That's how they truly believed things should be.

My father, Corbett, owned a construction business, while my mother, Michelle, had stayed at home to raise me. Same as her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother had with their children. Apparently, women on neither side of my family line worked outside the home, unless it was for some charitable cause. This was seen as validation of their husband's financial success. Of course, none of them had been terribly wealthy, but my father had built a steady reputation and we were doing quite well. They expected the same for me.

In his ambition to succeed, my father had brokered a deal that would ensure both his financial gain and secure me a husband who could support me. Enter William Compton, and his son Bill. The Compton's owned an ever-expanding chain of leisure resorts. Compton Sr. and my father decided it was a match made in heaven. Bill and I would marry, ensuring their resorts would be built by our company. My father's firm would do quality work using quality materials because one day his grandchildren would stand to profit from them. It was all very romantic, I assure you.

At school, I'd been exposed to very different ideas about women and gender. It had shocked my parents when I expressed an interest in continuing my studies. Not only had I earned the credits required to attend any academy or institute I'd wanted, but I'd graduated with top marks in my year. No other women in the Stackhouse Clan before me had pursued post-public education. When they'd found out I'd sent out the applications, both my parents had been furious. Mother had told me they were lucky I'd already been betrothed, because no man would want to marry a woman smarter than he was, as if I was somehow bringing shame on the family for being clever.

Of course, when speaking publicly, I could hear the pride in my father's voice when he told his colleagues that his daughter was a top student and had been accepted at the most prestigious institutions. He might not have been blessed with a son, but I'd given him the chance to brag as if he did. My mother liked to add that if there was going to be a woman smart enough to beat the boys, it would have to be a Stackhouse. Her hypocrisy sickened me. I'd heard her telling my fiance's mother that it meant I could guarantee bright and successful children. Ugh.

~0~

Bill and I were betrothed when I was sixteen, and he was twenty-three. Initially our parents hoped we would marry when I was eighteen, but when the

Kuran wars broke out the wedding was postponed until Bill could complete his military service.

It worked out well for me, because my parents finally relented and allowed me to go to school while Bill was in service. After much discussion, I was permitted to enroll at a small female-only institution, run by the Sisters of the Holy Divinity. My mother did not think it was entirely appropriate to go off to a fleet academy and behave like a boy. I disagreed vehemently, but knew to bite my tongue and take what I could get. They were slightly swayed by the idea that it was an all-female program, run by nuns. They thought that wouldn't be too offensive to my fiance's family, who were apparently as old-fashioned as they were.

At least the Sisters of the Holy Divinity Institute were doing cutting edge work in my area of interest, and were developing fascinating theories. My parents got what they wanted, and I got what I wanted. Everyone was happy with the arrangement, until now. With the war over, a wedding date had been set. After completing my second year, I was obliged to withdraw.

So, here I was at twenty, on my way to marry a man I hardly knew. Bill and I had met a few times over the years, and we sent regular communications during the war, but it always felt forced. Of course, I knew we were only revealing the best possible versions of our selves. I suppose the best way to describe it was to say it felt like he was a distant relation; someone you're obliged to speak to on holidays, someone you're expected to care about simply because you're related, not because you really care about each other. I imagine he felt similar. What twenty-three year old wants to be told he has to marry some teenage girl he's barely met just because his family has decided it would be good for business? I know that it wasn't the norm on his planet as it was on others.

During our brief encounters, he always seemed friendly enough, and he wasn't unattractive. I would even go as far as saying he was handsome. It was when we tried to discuss our interests, however, I lamented we had little in common. I was pretty certain he's not someone I would spend long periods of time with by choice. He was very serious and fastidious, where I was more curious and capricious. He often referred to my sense of humour as a "lack of maturity."

I felt it was more a case of him being _boring_. Still, it could have been worse. In the end, I accepted that it didn't really matter what we each thought of the other; our parents had arranged the nuptials and we had little say in the matter.

If I had to go through with it, I was committed to making it work as best I could. I could only hope he felt the same. I would find out soon enough.

~0~

In some small way, I'd convinced myself that going to an all female institution would make being engaged a little easier. This way, there was little chance I'd meet a guy and fall in love and have to deal with the inevitable fallout that would come with not being able to pursue that relationship. At the same time, it was frustrating. Betrothed or no, I was a typical hormonal teenaged girl with an active fantasy life.

Now that I was heading to my nuptials, with nothing else to distract me, I realized I was feeling a little sad that I hadn't had the chance to attend wild parties like some of my friends, though overall the educational experience has been enjoyable.

Amelia, my best friend, assured me this girl's getaway would be a chance to make up for some lost time. We would flirt, dance, drink, and pretend we were two single girls on a vacation. No one would have to know about my marriage. I hadn't shared with her the extent of my anxiety, and I was reluctant to do so soon before the event itself. There was nothing that could be done now. Instead, I played off my less than enthusiastic attitude as a result of having to finish my schooling before earning my diploma. As a scholar herself, she was more than sympathetic, though she assured me that there would be a way to continue my studies at some point. I didn't share her optimism.

~0~

So here we were, travelling aboard the MSS Sparklehorse. It was huge and luxurious, one of the fanciest recreational fleet cruisers in the multiverse. We were hours into a seven day journey from my home planet of Bon Temps, in the Louisiana System to New Orleans, in the Kadon galaxy, where the wedding was to occur.

What was supposed to be a 'Girl's Getaway,' spending our days by the pool gossiping about my impending wedding night, our nights dancing tipsily in the clubs, taking advantage of the pampering services of the cruiser's spas and salons, all-you-can-eat buffets and drooling over the hot men on board, had quickly lost its appeal once it finally clicked this was a last ditch attempt to enjoy my life as a single girl.

~0~

**A/N:** I know this type of story has been done before, to death. I have my own little take on it of course, but please let me know if it's worth continuing?


	2. Chapter 2

"What happens on the Sparklehorse, stays on the Sparklehorse," Amelia had proclaimed as we'd entered our stateroom, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

For her, this would undoubtedly be true. For me, not so much. I'd been a virgin when I was promised to my future husband, and I wasn't too keen on the idea of explaining how I'd managed to have sex with someone who was not him since I'd become engaged to him. I can't honestly say if he would have cared about it and I certainly wasn't about to ask him. I snorted to myself as I imagined that conversation. _"Hey, you wouldn't mind if I had sex with this cute guy I just met, would you?"_

Regardless of his opinion, I cared about it. Even if I didn't tell him and he'd never know, I'd know, and personal integrity was very important to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to premarital sexual exchanges. Like any other adolescent, I was definitely interested in sex and romance. Sadly, local boys didn't seem to return my attentions. I kept myself busy with my studies and the time flew by. While neither of my parents came out and said, "Sookie, you aren't allowed to date," I got the distinct impression that was their prerogative. My mother was always very suspicious of the intentions of my male friends, and constantly talking about how unsuitable for me they all were. By the time I realized I was the only one of my friends that hadn't really dated or had a boyfriend, my parents had arranged a marriage.

Once I became engaged, I couldn't really see any way to work dating into the equation. _"Don't mind him, he's just the guy I have to marry." _It was probably a good idea not to have sex with anyone other than my husband to-be anyhow, I'd told myself having no basis for comparison would prevent me from being slighted.

Amelia, on the other hand, was not promised to anyone, a fact she took advantage of frequently. Repeatedly. With whomever suited her fancy. I liked to joke that she was probably having enough sex for both of us, and she was more than happy to share the details of her active sex life, even when I was not interested in hearing them.

"Can you believe it?" Amelia squealed as she burst into our room. "There's a group of Tekton Cavaliers on board. They are so yummy."

While I didn't disagree with her assessment, the Tekton are known for their good looks and sexy leather flight suits, I couldn't bring myself to share her enthusiasm. (Mostly because I was preoccupied with my upcoming nuptials - primarily finding a way to avoid them.)

"I wonder if we'll get to see them in their dress uniforms during the trip?" she wondered aloud.

I hummed noncommittally in reply.

"They look so handsome in their full regalia," Amelia added dreamily. "There's something so incredibly sexy about a man in uniform."

~0~

Tekton is a small planet on the other side of the Kadon galaxy. The whole thing is basically a desert surrounding the occasional inland ocean. There are some lush green oases, but it's basically hot and dry during the day, and freezing cold at night. Due to the potentially harsh climate, the majority of its inhabitants live in cities built around it's numerous bodies of water. Essentially, everyone lives near the beach. Tektons are known for being tan, fit, and fans of water recreation.

As you can imagine, the bulk of their economy is built on tourism, as visitors flock to their multiverse-renowned beaches to enjoy the nearly constant sunshine and their recreational activities: sailing, snorkeling, and scuba diving in a massive network of underwater caves which seemingly connect the whole planet underground.

They've managed to market the planet as a romantic holiday destination. Advertisements feature half-naked couples frolicking in the surf, then cozying up together at night to avoid the chill.

Despite their history of peace and their small military, they have been involved in many peace missions. They are known throughout the multiverse for their peacekeeping contributions; providing protection and assistance in places being rebuilt after war. The Cavaliers are considered to be their elite force, who are also famed for their airbike acrobatics. When not on tactical missions, the Cavaliers travel throughout the galaxies and perform at transport shows. I'd only had the opportunity to see holo-projections, but their maneuvers looked amazing.

There are strict standards one must meet to qualify for the Cavaliers, including height, strength and intelligence. Only the best of the best need apply. For some reason, females throughout the multiverses are drawn to them. Their numbers are few, and marrying one is considered an honour in many cultures.

Given what I'd seen in the media, I could certainly appreciate their rather impressive presence. I couldn't help but wonder if they filled out their uniforms as nicely in person.

~0~

Both Amelia and I had the chance to find out for ourselves that evening, when several Cavaliers appeared in the ship's dining room in full dress uniform. They certainly cut an imposing figure. Their dark grey pants were tailored in such a way that the fabric clung to their strong thighs and hugged their muscular buttocks. A shining silver stripe ran down the side of their trousers, which were tucked into knee high black leather boots. Their navy jackets emphasized their broad shoulders and tapered torsos. The hem of the jacket ended just at the waist, revealing a shiny silver belt buckle. A leather holster was strapped to their right thigh. While their leather flight suits made them look sleek and dangerous, their dress blues made them look dashing.

Most of the men met the typical Tektonian standard of beauty: olive complexion, dark hair and hazel green eyes. One of the men drew my attention. Not only did he stand out from the others being several inches taller than his peers, he had long golden-blonde hair drawn back into a pony tail at the nape of his neck. His nose was less roman in appearance, straighter and finer. Though it was his sparkling sapphire blue eyes that most captured my attention.

Accidentally, I caught his gaze. Before I had the chance to look away, I saw him wink at me. I didn't risk taking a second look to be sure, surely it would be inappropriate for a young engaged woman like myself to be seen making eyes at a stranger on the way to her own wedding.

"Someone was checking you out," Amelia sing-songed into my ear.

"Hardly."

"I saw him wink at you."

"Maybe he had something in his eye?"

"More like he has something in his pants!"

"Amelia," I admonished. It was never a good idea to encourage her.

"Maybe he wants to take you for a ride," she teased. "And I don't mean on his solarcycle, missy!"

For some reason Amelia feels the need to take all innuendo and hit me over the head with it. Sometimes I want to yell at her that I'm a virgin, not an idiot.

"He is a modern day knight after all. Maybe he wants to ride you like a horse, or have you ride him like a horse, or-"

"Milly!" I scolded, swatting at her arm. "And don't let me hear you making any dumb comments about anyone being 'hung like a horse.'"

She pouted playfully. "You're no fun."

~x~


	3. Chapter 3

It didn't take Amelia long to befriend several of the Cavaliers. Of course, she insisted we join join them in one of the lounges that evening. More to her chagrin than mine, the blonde Tekton did not appear, so her teasing was kept to a minimum. Fortunately for her, one of the men he sat next to at dinner did. Ironically, this is happened to be the one Amelia developed the most interest in.

The men were charming, careful not to reveal much about their team, and proved to be pleasant company for a few hours. After a few cocktails, I was tired and a little tipsy. Amelia was not ready to leave just yet, so I made my goodbyes and started back towards our room. On the way back, I tripped. Stupid high heels. I never wore the dumb things, but Amelia had insisted they looked hot, so I'd put them on. A combination of my natural klutziness and mild intoxication resulted not only in tripping, but breaking the heel of the shoe and twisting my ankle. I attempted to hobble onward, but it hurt too much put my full weight on it. I leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, hoping to get a handle on the pain.

I was muttering and swearing to myself when a stranger approached me to ask if I was in need of assistance. I was about to accept gratefully when I realized the stranger was none other than the handsome golden-haired Cavalier. I found myself looking into his gorgeous blue eyes and my ability to speak, think, or act like a sensible person evaporated.

"Ow..." I moaned, pitifully.

Glancing at the broken shoe in my one hand, he ventured a guess. "Twist your ankle?"

"Mmhmm." I whined. Apparently, I was only able to communicate in weak kitten sounds.

"Let's have a quick look," he said, bending down to take a peek at the injured appendage. "There appears to be some swelling, we'd best get this dealt with immediately."

Without warning, he swept me up in his arms bridal-style and asked, "what's your room number?"

I squawked with indignation at being scooped up like a baby. Seeing my incredulous expression he offered me what he must have thought was his most non-threatening grin. "I enquire simply so that I know where to take you."

I frowned at him. He rolled his eyes. "Don't even pretend you could have walked there by yourself, it will be much faster for me to carry you."

I considered arguing with him, before admitting to myself that he was right. I might have felt a little embarrassed at my behaviour, but I was in pain!

"Room number?" he prompted.

"1925," I said. I let him carry me a short distance in silence. "I apologize for being rude," I said. "I'm just..." What was I going to say?

_I'm not supposed to talk to strangers? Rescue me from a marriage to someone who isn't half as hot as you?_

"No, it's my fault. I should have asked first," he said. "It's nice to see a woman who doesn't wish to play the damsel in distress."

"I do appreciate your help," I said, pausing. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name." Mr. Hot Cavalier Guy probably isn't the most polite way to refer to a person.

"Leif," he provided.

"Nice to meet you Leif, I'm Sookie."

"It's my pleasure, Sookie," he said. "Please accept my assurance that my intentions are innocent."

"That's good, considering you a moment ago you were a total stranger carrying me to my room," I answered. "It saves us from having an awkward conversation."

"Especially with you wearing an engagement ring."

"Indeed," I said quietly, glancing away.

"He's a lucky man."

I blushed profusely.

"When are you to be married?" he asked, his tone casual, conversational. I felt a bit... disappointed by that.

"Within the next solar cycle," I said. "My friend and I are actually on our way to his planet for the preparations."

"Sounds exciting," he said, regarding me intensely.

"Eh," I sighed. He glanced at me with an inquisitive expression. Right, most women would probably sound enthusiastic when discussing their upcoming wedding - especially to a stranger. I tried again, attempting to sound a little peppier. "It's the first time Amelia and I have taken a trip alone together, so we've been looking forward to it for some time now."

He smiled at that. I'm sure he's met his fair share of eager young women travelling and cutting lose. When we approached my room's door, he lowered me to the correct height for the retinal scan to open it, then proceeded to carry me over the threshold into the room.

"Which room?" he asked, glancing at the doors that led to the two different sleeping areas.

"The left," I supplied.

He entered my room and carried me to the edge of the bed before placing me down gently upon the mattress.

"I'll call the infirmary for you."

"Thank you," I said, hoping the damage wasn't too serious. I didn't think it would endear me to my in-laws too arrive with an injury that didn't heal properly because I didn't take care of myself.

Leif made the call and sat with me while waiting for a medtech to arrive. When the attendant came he excused himself and promised he would see me again.

As I'd suspected, it wasn't a serious injury, but I was advised to keep weight off the joint for the rest of the evening, and take it easy for the next few days. The medtech rubbed a healing balm into my lower leg and foot, which I could feel working immediately. He also left her a few tablets to dull any discomfort I might feel over the next few days.

I thanked the doctor and made myself comfortable. I felt sleepy, and I knew that the medicine in the balm was to blame. After a few moments, I succumbed to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much to those of you who have taken the time to read this. I know that it's a little rough, but it's been a while, so please bear with me. I know this chapter is short, but trust me, there are other much longer chapters coming up.**

That night I dreamt about blue eyes, long blonde hair falling over my body and large hands caressing my skin. I was awoken by the chime of my personal tablet, indicating that a new communication had arrived. Just when I was getting to the good part. Reluctantly, I got out of bed and dragged myself into the main area of the suite. My ankle felt much better, but my heart felt heavier. I spent the next few hours waiting for Amelia to wake up and trying to distract myself. I ate breakfast and replied to communications from my mother and Bill, assuring them that all was well. I attempted to watch infocasts on the holo-projector briefly, but found myself too restless to follow.

~0~

"Too bad you left early, who knows what might have happened," Amelia said, when she finally emerged from her room. "A certain someone happened to grace us with his presence some time after you left."

"Maybe I had some adventures of my own," I informed her, nonchalantly as could be.

"Oh?" She was skeptical. My lack of dating experience and years at an all-female school didn't leave her with much confidence in my man-catching abilities, I guess.

"What if I were to tell you that a certain someone just happened to escort me back to my room last night?" I teased.

"You didn't!"

"Oh, I did," I assured her with a saucy grin.

"Stackhouse, you little minx, bringing a strange man back to your room! I knew you had it in you!" Amelia squealed. "Tell me everything!"

I laughed, eventually admitting it wasn't quite the illicit tale she was imagining. I told her about my unfortunate accident, the demise of her high heel, and the arrival of 'Mr. Hot Cavalier Guy' to save the day.

~0~

"I'm sorry about your shoe," I apologized.

She waved dismissively. "Whatever, it's totally worth it if it could get you close to that hunk of man meat." Sometimes I wondered how Amelia and I had ever become friends.

"So is he as muscular under those clothes as he appears?" she asked.

I gave her what must have been a goofy smile and nodded. "It sure felt that way."

We proceeded to spend the rest of the morning giggling and gossiping. It turned out that after leaving our chambers, Leif had joined his men in the lounge. Amelia had managed to ascertain the following: His name was Leif Nordman. He was the squad's captain. He wasn't married, he didn't have a girlfriend - and as far as she was able determine - he was a heterosexual human male.

She had also discovered that Tektons were gifted practitioners of the art of kissing, if her new friend Tray was anything to judge by.


	5. Chapter 5 update

**Ack! I just realized that I didn't cut and paste my story properly, so the first part of chapter 5 wasn't included. Here it is as it should be. My apologies.**

That afternoon, Amelia and I headed to the recreation module, where she'd arranged to meet Tray. We were both hopeful Leif would be there too. I wanted to thank him for his assistance the night before - and perhaps drool a little bit. I'd worn my prettiest bikini, just in case. Amelia hoped he was there for more selfish reasons; one being that she thought I needed a little excitement in my life before marrying Bill, and the other being that she wanted to go off and have private time with Tray without feeling guilty about ditching me. After fifteen years of friendship, I knew her well enough to know what motivated her.

As one of the most luxurious cruisers in the fleet, the MSS Sparklehorse recreation module left nothing to be desired. There was a mock beach with a wave simulator, volleyball nets, jet skis, even palm trees. I'm sure the Tekton were feeling right at home. The particular part of Bon Temps I was from boasted swamps for water sources, so this was a real treat.

Soon enough, we met Tray and some of the other Cavaliers, and were laying back idly on some comfortable chaises, sipping refreshing fruity drinks.

"Hottie at 10 o'clock!" Amelia said, nudging me in the side.

I looked where she directed and caught sight of Leif emerging from the surf. His long hair was down, dripping droplets of water down his well-defined musculature. He came over to the group and grabbed a towel from one of the loungers in front of me, proceeding to dry himself. I watched as the water ran down his back, drawing my eye toward his round buttocks. There was no denying it, the man had a great butt.

"Need a napkin?" Amelia teased, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I was staring, wasn't I?"

"A little bit," Amelia conceded. "But who can blame you, his ass is mesmerizing."

I giggled and flicked some of my drink her way, making her shriek when the cold liquid made contact with her skin. Distracted by the noise, Leif turned to looked our way.

"Hello Amelia, and Sookie," he said, still towelling off as he spoke to us. "It's a pleasure to see you again, I hope your ankle is healed."

"Yes, well..." I stuttered. What was it about this man that made me so nervous?

"I gather you rescued my Sookie from a sticky situation last night, Leif," Amelia interrupted, rescuing me from an awkward silence. "You didn't mention it when you joined us."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at my friend's accusing tone. As a soldier, he probably had done far more heroic and memorable deeds. This was a man who did air acrobatics on a solar-powered motorcycle when he wasn't diffusing bombs and helping refugees. I doubted helping some drunken vacationer who can't walk in high heels would rate very high on his 'stories-to-tell-meter.'

Leif smiled impishly at my friend. "You seemed a little preoccupied with Corporal Dawson at the time."I left her in the capable hands of a medtech, and she didn't seem too badly off

. I didn't see any point in troubling you with it - especially when you appeared to be having such a _good time_." The emphasis he put on the words good and time left no mistake just what kind of good time she'd been having.

"Oh, well," Amelia said, coughing gently. Was she blushing? I'd never seen that before.

"I did want to thank you, again, Captain Nordman," I said.

"Please, call me Leif."

"Leif," I smiled graciously. "I appreciate that you helped me out, I know you didn't have to."

"It is our duty to serve those in need of assistance," he replied. "Though I must admit, I would gladly have done it any way." He followed his statement up with a wink.


	6. Chapter 6

Later that afternoon, Amelia and Tray excused themselves to go take a walk. Leif and I shared a knowing look. Amelia managed to look guilty long enough for Leif to volunteer that he would gladly keep me company until they returned. I wouldn't have had a problem with it even if I'd been left alone. I'd never seen Amelia quite so smitten with someone before - it was cute - and I didn't think she should suffer just because I was getting married. The two lovebirds disappeared so quickly after that, Leif and I joked that they hadn't even waited for us to finish giving our approval to go!

Eventually, we got bored of being on the beach, and ended up taking a walk of our own, exploring the ship's other offerings.

We walked past a display of images featuring various guests on the ship enjoying different activities, including a smiling couple wearing 'Just Married' t-shirts. My face must have betrayed some of my emotions, because Leif looked at me thoughtfully and said, "It's interesting."

I turned to him. "What is?"

"Most brides are ecstatic about their wedding, or at least preoccupied with the details, droning on endlessly to any one who will listen."

"Oh," I said. "Well, most of the planning is done, and I'll be spending the next solar cycle up to my eyeballs in all that... this is meant to be a vacation." That was a perfectly reasonable explanation, wasn't it? I wasn't sure. The majority of my friends weren't married yet, and I'd been away at school during their potential bridezilla phases, so I really had no idea how a bride-to-be was supposed to behave.

Leif interpreted my silence as what it was, but refused to let it lie. "I take it this is not a love match?"

Oh Divinity, I did not want to talk about this, certainly not with Leif. Bill's family were wealthy and influential; it wouldn't do for me to go around saying anything untoward publicly, and while I didn't think Leif was the type to go running off to the media outlets, it just didn't seem appropriate to discuss. Bill wasn't terrible. In the short time we had spent together, he had proven to be a caring person. He was attractive, and I knew he found me aesthetically pleasing. After four years there was a fondness between us. We'd gone on a few dates. We'd even kissed, and it wasn't awful, I just wasn't in love, not how I thought I should be, but that didn't change my situation.

"I love Bill," I said. That was true, I loved him as a one my love a family member.

"But you're not in love with him?"

"I didn't say that," I defended.

After a few moments of silence, he commented, "Arranged marriages are not common on Tekton."

Once I realized that he was onto the truth of the situation, I felt like I couldn't deny it anymore. It almost felt like a relief to be able to talk truthfully to someone about it.

"They aren't really that common where I'm from either, but they're the norm where my parents are from." I explained that my mother and father had shared an arranged married, and had grown to love each other very much. My grandparents too. I had been told that this type of relationship was often more stable than love matches - as the couple's families shared common values and morals and those were often the things that broke up relationships. Starting with a common base, true love would grow out of a mutual interests. I'd seen it happen with my own eyes, but I'll admit, I too was skeptical. The fact that this match was more about benefitting my father's business connections, not our shared values might have something to do with that.

"We've been betrothed since I was sixteen," I continued. "He's smart, he can be sweet. He's a military man, like yourself."

Leif nodded.

"We were supposed to marry a few years ago, but he was sent to serve in the Kadon wars," I said.

"It's been an idea for so long, it seemed to faraway. Now that it's getting closer, I..."

Leif patted my shoulder comfortingly. "I understand."

~0~

As I lay in bed that evening, I reflected on the conversations I'd had with Leif, who presented a bit of a conundrum.

He was handsome, witty and full of joie de vivre. Unlike Bill, who tended to treat me like a child, the captain seemed genuinely interested in my thoughts on matters, and laughed at my jokes. He was the complete opposite of everything I knew about Bill. I tried not to think about that and attempted to convince myself to enjoy it while I could. I'll admit, it boosted my confidence to receive attention from him, and though I found myself incredibly attracted to him, I knew there was no way anything would happen between us. Not that he tried anything - not only was Leif incredibly gorgeous - he was a total gentleman.

That didn't mean I wasn't thinking about what it might be like for something to happen. Hence my problem - the frustration of meeting a really hot guy right before I was going to marry someone else I wasn't interested in marrying.


	7. Chapter 7

**Now the action truly begins...**

"This is your captain speaking; we are conducting a test of our emergency drill system. We ask that all guests please return to their suites at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. This is a test of our emergency drill system. Please proceed to your rooms in a calm and orderly fashion and await further instruction."

"That's odd," I said, as I began to gather my things from the table of the small cafe where Amelia and I were relaxing.

"I hope it doesn't go on for too long," Amelia said. "I'm supposed to meet Tray in a little while."

We were soon in the corridor with all the other passengers, heading back to our room. We were about to cross to the upper level when I spotted Leif coming towards us.

"There you are," he said, sounding relieved to find us. "I was just looking for you."

"Well, we're just on our way back to our suite," I said. "What are you doing down here, I thought your rooms were up a level from ours?"

"They are," he confirmed. "Look, I came to warn you both -"

"Warn us about what?" Amelia asked loudly, drawing attention our way.

Leif gave her a look that clearly communicated his desire for her to speak softly. "You need to be careful, this isn't a drill," he said, regarding us both with a serious expression.

"They don't want to send the passengers into a panic, but we were boarded by a Nebulon warship a short while ago."

"Nebulons?" Amelia whispered. I could see that she was already gearing herself into a tizzy. Amelia could be a bit of of a drama queen at the best of times, knowing what to do in an actual emergency was simply beyond her.

Not that I could say I blamed her, the Nebulon are distinctly not-humanoid. They are ant-like in appearance. Giant ants - the males and females both standing roughly 6 feet. Picture an ant head on a furry human body, with ant arms and legs. Their exoskeleton ranges in colour from reddish-brown to black. Their torsos are covered in a thick fur. They are not only unpleasant to look at, but cruel and sadistic.

"Is that why Cavaliers were on board? Were they expecting to be attacked?" I asked.

"No," Leif insisted. "Not to my knowledge, but Sookie, you and Amelia need to be careful. The Nebulons are known for their cruelty. They often take hostages as slaves. Try your best to keep under the radar. Do not tell them anything about who you are, or where you are going, mention nothing about the Cavaliers. If they ask about myself or Tray, tell them we are just guys you met on board."

I nodded to indicate that I understood. I knew that he and the other Cavaliers were going fight. I wondered if I would see Leif again.

"Take care, Sookie," he said, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Amelia," he nodded.

"Tell Tray my thoughts are with him," Amelia said. Her eyes shining with tears. "May you both be blessed by the Divinity."

In that moment, I realized, if something were to happen to me, I didn't want to die without having kissed a man I was truly drawn to. " I said, before leaning up and quickly placing a kiss on Leif's mouth. He paused for a moment under my attentions, before embracing me and laying the mother of all kisses on me.

We pulled apart too soon, with me breathlessly asking him to "Stay safe!"

With that, he took his leave, virtually disappearing into the crowd. Amelia and I continued back to our room, to wait for further instructions from the ship's crew.

~0~

"What do you think will happen now?" asked Amelia, as we sat in our room.

"I suppose they will run through the manifest list, verifying that each guest is in their rooms, safely."

"What do you think they'll do when they discover many of the Cavaliers are missing?"

"The manifest lists might not say that they are Cavaliers, the crew may try to use that information to their advantage," I said. "Though I'm sure they will start a search for the missing guests."

"They may even do an announcement, looking for them," Amelia speculated. "That way they can justify keeping us in our quarters for even longer, as they need to find the missing passengers."

"They may use that as their cover, instead of revealing that we've been boarded," I speculated. "I wish I knew whether the Nebulons struck by chance or on purpose. Did we just happen to be in their sights, or are they looking for something specific?"

"What if they were looking for someone specific," Amelia countered. "Is there anyone of note on board?"

"Other than the full team of Cavaliers, I don't know."

"Do you think they are after them?"

"Possibly, but it's a rather big risk isn't it - the Cavaliers would sooner fight to their own death than surrender, right?" I said, trying to recall what little I knew of the Cavalry.

"I wonder if they will ever reveal that we've been captured, or if they'll have us go on as if nothing is happening?" I wondered.

"Why would they do that?" Amelia asked.

"Well, if you keep everyone locked in their quarters, you have thousands of people riling themselves up. If you act as though the attendance is a drill, then let the people free, they'll basically stay out of your hair, not suspecting anything. You wouldn't need that many people to maintain control - as long as you kept low level staff off the bridge."

Amelia knew my suggestion was plausible. Trying to control the passenger s and the crew would be much harder than letting them think all was normal. Once they had gone over the manifests, they could simply take hostages from their rooms, and no one would even know.

"No matter what happens Amelia, we can't let anyone know that we suspect anything other than a drill. Not a word to anyone on board," I whispered to my friend. We would play dumb and hopefully Leif and Tray and the others would be able to fend off the Nebulon warriors before anything serious happened.

~0~

At some point, the door to our room slid open and two crew members entered to verify our identities, and check around the room to make certain we were alone. They showed no signs of stress or dismay, making me wonder if the staff were even aware that this wasn't a drill, or if Leif had been incorrect in his assertion. The left as quickly as they came, revealing nothing.

Over the next while, there were ship wide announcements looking for several passengers. Not all of them were Cavalier members, but neither of us was surprised to hear the announcements asking Leif Nordman and Tray Dawson to report to their rooms immediately.

Instructions were sent a few hours later thanking the passengers for their cooperation and patience. It was explained that because there were several passengers currently unaccounted for, we would be continuing the drill for the rest of the evening, and dinner would be served in our chambers.

Amelia and I passed the time playing cards and watching films on the holoscreen, neither of us bringing up the concern we both felt for our friends. Eventually, we readied ourselves for sleep and lay in our beds, though I doubted either of us found sleep easily. Amelia was likely worried about Trey, and imagining what would happen if she were to be taken prisoner by the Nebulons.

I lay there wondering why the Nebulons chose this ship, and why they might want the Cavaliers. I ran over many different scenarios of what might happen in the coming days. I had faith that Leif and his men knew what they were doing. What I didn't know was what the Nebulons were after, and what they would do to get it. The Nebulon reputation for taking slaves was well-known. They were notorious for taking pleasure slaves. I had seen a documentary featuring men and women who had managed to escape, or had been traded... the stories they told were horrifying.

The prospect of marrying Bill no longer appeared as awful. I found myself praying to the Divinity that I would be amenable to marrying Bill and not complaining anymore if Amelia and I survived survive this situation without being taken hostage.

Not that praying has ever done me much good before.

~x~


	8. Chapter 8

**Bonus mini chapter. Thanks to all my readers, especially my tiny group of followers, and 1SouthernBelle who always takes the time to review.**

I wasn't entirely shocked when Amelia and I were both yanked from our beds in the middle of the night, sent to join with many other passengers who had been taken hostage. It appeared that all of the first class passengers, Amelia and myself included, were taken to be held for ransom. As far as we knew, we had been taken for no other reason than our potential wealth. The Nebulon may have spoken English, but they weren't using it to communicate with us, so I couldn't determine exactly what was going on. When they pointed a weapon at me, I moved. It seemed to be an effective strategy for the time being.

The Nebulon did not seem interested in taking the lower classes of passenger to hold for ransom. Instead, they were examined one by one, selected for their potential value as slaves. Those who looked particularly strong were put in one group. Those that worked as scientists and computer programmers, for example, were put another. Those that were deemed exceptionally physically attractive, male or female, were relegated to another group. Apparently, those not deemed attractive or smart enough were free to return to their normal lives.

~0~

We'd been waiting for some time when the doors to the loading bay where we were being held slid open, and a swath of Nebulon guards entered, dragging several new hostages with them. My heart seized as I recognized their captives. I could hear the breath catch in Amelia's throat as she went to cry out for Tray, but I squeezed her hand to stop her. Revealing any emotion might connect us to the men, and that could end up badly for us. There was a reason Leif had warned us not to say we knew them.

As my friend fought back her tears, I tried to make eye-contact with Leif. Despite being bound, gagged and held at gunpoint, he was still struggling against his captors. I was proud of his strong will, though I was reeling with the realization that the very men I'd hoped could save us had been captured. If they couldn't protect themselves, it meant there was little chance for the rest of us. The Nebulon hustled their charges through the room and onto a transport. There was nothing we could do to help each other now. Again, I prayed that the Cavaliers would be okay.

~0~

Some time after that, I was separated from the other first class passengers, forced onto a transport with the group of men and women who could be described as pleasing to the eye. Amelia remained with the other wealthy passengers, looking horrified as I was taken away.

Despite knowing that working as a labourer in the drumina mines of Nebulon would be a hard and difficult life, it held far more appeal than being a pleasure slave. The documentary that I had seen had described some sexual acts that the Nebulon enjoyed which I considered to be so depraved and disgusting that I would rather toil in the dark caves for the rest of my life.

~0~

One of the Nebulon began chattering at me in its foreign tongue. I had no idea what it wanted me to do, I was backed into a corner with no where to move. It raised its gun and pulled the trigger. Everything grew dark. I felt no pain, but I knew I was rapidly losing consciousness.

~x~

A/N: Dun-dun-dun... Longer chapters are coming over the next few days, as is a hint of citrus. Thanks for sticking with me through the set up.


	9. Chapter 9

I was roused into consciousness by a pretty brunette shaking me and repeating my name. Confused and disoriented, I found that I was in a tiny room that had

gleaming white walls and floors, lying on a small cot with white bedding.

"Where am I? Are we on Nebulon?" I asked.

"No, we're on Shreveport," the woman said.

Shreveport, I barely recognized the name. I thought it was maybe a spaceport near the outlying planets at the far edge of the multiverse. The only people who came out here were those who came seeking to be far from the watchful eye of Multiverse Authority.

"What is this place?"

Dawn's smile lost a little of it's lustre. "This is one of the galaxy's premiere gentlemen's clubs, although women visit us to enjoy our services too, from time to time."

"So, it's a brothel?"

"Yes."

"Oh," I said. I guess I was correct in assuming I'd been taken as a pleasure slave. "What happened to the others?"

"What others?" the woman asked.

"The others from the Sparklehorse, the ones who were with me when I was taken?"

"I'm sorry," the lady replied, shaking her head. "I don't know about that. As far as I know, you were brought here by yourself. I haven't seen any new arrivals but you."

"But the Nebulons took several dozen of us," I explained.

"That's awful," she replied, looking genuinely shocked. "You must have been terrified."

"Do the Nebulons own this place?" I asked.

"No," she said. "The owners are human, I've met them. I've never seen a Nebulon in person before. If they brought you, I don't know. I was just told your name and asked to come in and help you learn the ropes."

"Oh."

"I know you don't want to be here," she said, softly. "Few of us are... but try to keep your chin up. It's not the drumina mines, and we're not kept chained and bound. We have a good standard of living... it gets easier, I promise."

"I'm Dawn, by the way."

"Sookie."

It turned out Dawn was also from the Bon Temps. They'd pick her as my mentor because we were from the same planet and roughly the same age. Dawn was friendly enough, and asked me a few questions about our home planet - I gathered it had been several years since she had been back there herself. Whomever was in charge thought it would make my transition easier to have someone familiar around. I can't say if it was working or not. It reminded me painfully of my friends and family back home, but it was nice to have someone who could identify with where I was from.

"Well, Sookie, let's get you up and out of this room, shall we?"

~0~

We walked down a long corridor and into a pavilion which housed a large bathing area. Dawn and several other women helped remove my clothing and proceeded to wash my entire body. I can't recall the last time I was entirely naked with anyone else present and I felt very uncomfortable.

I was brought some fruit I did not recognize and a refreshing drink. I felt surprisingly calm and revitalized. I wondered if I had been given some sort of tranquilizing agent.

No one really spoke at length, but everyone offered friendly or sympathetic smiles, their touch gentle and efficient. I could tell a few of them found my modesty amusing. I couldn't help but feel violated, though I know none of them intended to make me feel that way. Dawn's words to me earlier gave me the impression that few, if any, of these women were here by their own choice.

After bathing, I was dried off and dressed in a silky robe. I was then taken to a salon area where I was primped and pampered, rubbed down with different scrubs and lotions, massaged and stretched, manicured and pedicured. I was depilated, trimmed and coiffed. The experience might have been enjoyable if it weren't being forced upon me.

~0~

Dawn lead me back to my room, where she showed me a small closet that held a few hanging items, and informed me there were socks and underthings in a basket on a shelf. She showed me where to put soiled linens and clothing. She pointed out a small booklet in the drawer of my bedside table and told me to read it over, then left, promising to return later. She suggested I rest while I had the chance.

Alone, I inspected the room a little more thoroughly. There was a bedside table with a lamp and a clock, which held a carafe of clear liquid and a single glass. I opened the drawer of the table and found a hairbrush, toothbrush, tooth paste, a small pot of lotion, and a hand towel. In the closet, there were two white gis and a pair of slippers. As soft as the robe I was wearing was, it was hardly appropriate to wear. I hung the robe in the closet and put on some undergarments and a gi. It was woven from a soft material and was quite comfortable.

I sat on my bed and examined the pamphlet. It was a handbook that outlined the brothel's daily schedule, rules of conduct, and answered some of the general questions I might have about this place. I learned that I would soon be taken to see a doctor to verify that I was in good health.

In some ways I was reminded of my dormitory at the institute. The nuns ran a fairly regimented schedule, so I was accustomed to that. Apparently, my schooling has prepared me in some small way for this situation, Mother would be happy my education wasn't a total waste. I hadn't lost my sense of humour either.

I thought about Dawn's advice to keep my chin up. I decided to take her advice to heart. Once I had a better grip on the situation, I could start making plans. I knew Dawn wasn't lying when she said it could be much worse.

~0~

Dawn appeared some time later to escort me to the clinic, where I was relieved to find that the doctor was a humanoid female. The doctor had the decency to act as if this were an entirely normal situation, though I had no doubt she knew that many of the women she sees are not here willingly. One one hand, I appreciate the doctor's attempt at normalcy, but on the other, it makes me sad. I suppress the instinct to plead for assistance to escape. For all I know the doctor is as much of a prisoner as I am.

It's difficult for me to imagine that any of the women could be here by choice, but Dawn had said not all of us were here involuntarily. I feel sad to think that any woman would want to work here. In my view, one would have to be escaping an particularly awful existence to prefer offering their body to complete strangers. I don't think the women here are even compensated with more than room and board. I know that there are probably those who would contradict me, I've heard of species that truly love sex and the associate acts, those who live on the almost legendary pleasure planets. Some could argue they would love to earn their living having sex all day, with no need for emotional connection with their partner. I just can't help but be skeptical that sex workers are ever as willing to participate as those who profit off them claim, but what do I know?

The doctor ran through a checklist of questions about my medical history and general health. I was weighed, given a blood test, asked to provide a urine sample. When the doctor asked questions about my sexual history, I was obliged to reveal that I'm a virgin. The doctor made no comment, but jotted down a few additional notes on my chart and explained that she would be doing a physical examination next. She instructed me to undress and sit in the examination chair.

I can't help but wonder how violated a victim of sexual assault must feel after an attack, given how traumatized I'm feeling by this whole experience so far.

~0~

"Everything okay?" Dawn asked as we returned to my room.

I shrugged listlessly.

"Dawn," I started, unsure how to continue."

She stopped walking to look at me, seeing the near panic on my face.

"I don't think I can do this," I said.

"I can get you some pharmacon that will make it easier," she suggested. "We all struggle..."

Oh Divinity, I thought. There was truly no way out of this, was there?

"Dawn, I can't, I mean... I've never..."

"You're a virgin?"

"Yes," I answered, a blush colouring my face.

"Well, that changes things a little," Dawn said, thoughtfully.

"It does?"

"Yes. Virginity is highly valued around here, so they won't just throw you to the wolves," she explained. "That might buy you some time."

"Oh?"

"Well, the owner usually offers the virgins to his honoured guests as favour. Some of them pride themselves on being a woman's first. Basically, a slave will get the same treatment one of their women would on her wedding night. There's this whole ritual... it's pretty rare around this place, but I've seen it before."

For once in my life, I was totally happy that I'd been such an awkward adolescent and hadn't been as free-spirited as Amelia, or any of my other friends. Anything that would stave off my first foray into prostitution was a welcome one.

~0~

That evening, Dawn accompanied me to roll call. As they took attendance, some women were singled out and lined up against the far wall. I looked at Dawn for explanation.

"They've been requested," she whispered. "Asked for by name. They go first, and then the next group of women are chosen randomly."

"Are they assigned to specific people?" I asked.

"Some of them, but a large group of women are simply expected to be present as... entertainment."

"I see," I said. "Which is better?"

"Honestly? I prefer to be requested, then I know what to expect. Most of the men that call for a specific woman choose their favourites, and they tend to be a little kinder..."

"Oh."

"Mostly the men are okay, there are a few jerks, of course, but it doesn't have to be unpleasant."

I knew Dawn's words were meant to soothe my nerves, but they were having the opposite effect.

That first evening, I wasn't called. I returned to my room where I lay on the bed and finally allowed myself to break down and cry.

~x~


	10. Chapter 10

**Special Saturday double-post. I believe I promised a hint of citrus, here I do my best to deliver.**

The next day, Dawn, and another woman, Maudette, took me on a more comprehensive tour of the facility.

"This is the 'main room,'" Dawn said, leading us into a space that was clearly used for entertaining 'guests.' It was at least ten times larger than my room. As like most of the spaces in the brothel, the walls were white - as were many of the curtains and cushions. The majority of the furniture was upholstered in white, with the occasion purple cushion or blanket tossed in for colour. The carpet was thick and plush under her bare feet.

In the centre of the room, there was a set of stairs leading to a platform where a large four poster bed was positioned. It was covered with numerous pillows and throw blankets. There was a row of soft couches on the platform facing the bed. A set of long gauzy curtains hung from the ceiling, all of which were secured with a sash to the bed posts.

In one corner of the room, there was a large glassed shower, a large soaker tub that looked big enough to hold several adults. In the other corner, there was a series of wood posts, studded here and there with metal hooks and loops. The wall next to it was hung with a variety of chains and ropes and what appeared to be whips, canes and paddles. Of course, I knew that there were those who enjoyed such things, but I'd never seen anything like this before. I'm pretty sure I'm not one of those people.

In the other corner, a sling of some kind hung from the ceiling. Around it were several cushions of different shapes in a pile. All about the surrounding area there were large overstuffed bean bags. I imagined those were for the audience to sit on while they watched and engaged in their own activities.

In the last corner, there was a large closet of some kind, hiding whatever was inside. I decided I didn't want to know what was inside, and I hoped I never had to find out.

"So, this is where you come to entertain the men?"

"Sometimes," answered Dawn. "There are other smaller chambers that are for privacy, and though sometimes we use the spa room."

"Oh," I replied.

"Some of the small chambers have a one way mirror for a wall, and there are rooms on the other side where the people can be observed," added Maudette.

My eyes must have been growing bigger and bigger with the women's words, because they giggled and tried to reassure me.

"Don't worry, they won't put you in the big parties until they are sure that you can handle it. They start you off nice and slow," Maudette said.

"How considerate," I muttered darkly.

~0~

Though I'd been assured she wouldn't be put to work in one of the large rooms until I was more experienced, it hadn't occurred to me that they might have me work in another capacity, so when my name was called to attend a function in the pool room, I began to panic. The House Master, a man named Sam Merlotte, took me aside to attempt to soothe my nerves.

"The guests have been instructed not to touch the servants," the he explained. "This is to introduce you to what happens here, to acclimate you to these kind of activities."

It turned out my job was to gather soiled and discarded clothing and ensure there were fresh robes and towels available at all times. All while dressed in a skimpy gold lame bodysuit and white short shorts. I was given white shoes to wear. I was taken into the salon, where my makeup was applied for me. My hair was styled into a soft ponytail. All the 'servants' were dressed and coiffed the same way.

The 'slaves' were dressed in robes and various types of lingerie and high heeled shoes. There was no mistaking who was in which role, I supposed. Even if I felt like a bikini covered more of my buttocks than the shorts I was wearing, I was glad to have them.

~0~

The event was happening in the bathing/pool pavilion. It was an eye-opening experience, that's for sure. At this point in my life, all I knew of sex was what I'd seen on the holoscreen, read in books, or learned in biology. When my friends and I had giggled and gossiped about boys, the topic rarely ventured into the details of anything significant. I was ill-prepared for the realities of an orgy, that much is certain.

I tried to avoid watching what was going on around me, focusing instead on doing my job, not an easy task when surrounded by dozens of copulating men and women.

~0~

When the evening was over, I made my way back to my room. I'd survived the night. Thankfully no men had tried to approach me, far too absorbed in women that were truly on offer. Thank the Divinity for small mercies.

As I readied myself for bed, I worried about Amelia. I hoped she was okay, that she had been ransomed back to her family by now. I wondered if my parents and Bill knew that I'd been abducted. I wondered if a ransom request had been made on my behalf, if they had any idea where I truly was? I was curious, what had become of Leif and Tray and the other Cavaliers? Were they still alive? Were they being held and tortured for information about Tekton?

~0~

I lay in bed unable to sleep. Instead, I thought of other more pleasing things, namely my kiss with Leif. Was he thinking about me wherever I was? Would he somehow come to save me? I wanted to hold on to the idea that one day I might see him again.

I wondered what it would be like to kiss him again, be held in his embrace. I found myself imagining what it would be like to spend some time alone with him, perhaps in the room Dawn and Maudette had shown me.

In my mind, Leif takes me by the hand and leads me up to the top of the stairs where the bed lay on the platform. The curtains are hanging loose around the bed. Their sheer fabric hides little of the couple writhing within. I can see a women is perched atop her partner, who is lying flat on his back. His hands are on her breasts, squeezing and rubbing as she rides him enthusiastically. Leif holds me from behind, his hands moving over my breasts, thumbs rubbing and pinching at my nipples.

He spins me in his arms and kisses me, before parting the drapes enough to push me back onto the plush mattress, allowing them to drift closed again as he crawls up my body. He helps pull me up the bed, then gathers the panels of the curtains to bind me to the bed posts by my wrists. I don't know where the other couple has gone, nor do I care, as Leif is running his tongue down my body, dipping between my thighs.

After he has brought me to orgasm several times, he guides me over to the sling hanging from the ceiling. He guides the loop over my head and leans me forward so I am balanced on my tiptoes, the sling supporting my belly. He steps up behind my, rubbing his erection between against me. He places one of his large hands on either side of my hips, then pulls me back until his pelvis is flush with my bottom, then swings me forward. The momentum of the swing and his arms creates its own pumping rhythm, where I am pushed back into him, over and over. The sound of his skin slapping against mine is obscene.

Boneless and satiated, he removes me from the sling, slipping a scarf over my eyes and binding my wrists together in front of me. He walks me forward slowly, then raises my arms over my head, clipping my wrists to the post. He steps away for a moment. I can hear unidentifiable noises as I realize Leif is over at the wall of implements. I can hear the sound of slapping, snapping and whooshing as he tests out the various items before selecting one. I have no idea what to expect, my heartbeat raises with anticipation.

Eventually, he returns to his place behind me, stepping up so close I can feel his breath on the back of my neck as he exhales.

"Let go, Sookie," he whispers.

~x~

**A/N:** This story is mostly written, each day I adjust the coming chapters. As the week has gone on, I can already see areas where the story could be improved, smoothed out, and gaps filled in. Are there any areas of weakness where you want more/less? For the past few postings, I worry that I have lost some of the original tone of Sookie's voice - that may be because she's been taken captive, or because I've failed to maintain my own character. What are your thoughts?


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, while I was lying in the solarium and reading, I received a summons. Hopeful that it was news from my parents, I headed to the office of the House Master as quickly as I could.

"Sookie," Sam said, indicating I should take a seat. "You have been requested to join the Commander this evening."

Immediately, my system flooded with adrenaline. Sam made it sound like this Commander was someone important. I wondered if he was important enough for the brothel's owners to gift him my virginity. I felt nauseous, hot and not a little unsteady on my feet. Sensing my rising panic, the House Master offered me a glass of clear liquid from the carafe on his desk. I took it gladly.

"This is just a meeting," he clarified. "Nothing of significance will happen. He will likely ask you a few questions, perhaps tell you a little about his expectations. This is a formal introduction for you. As you are aware, your status is viewed as something very valuable. It will be up to the Commander's discretion if and when anything shall transpire. This evening is for him to get to know you better and help him make this decision."

I nodded, relieved to know I wouldn't be having sex tonight, though I was painfully aware I was only delaying the inevitable.

"Dawn and Maudette will help you dress and prepare. Go to the bathing hall for four o'clock. I will pick you up to escort you to the meeting at six o'clock."

Dazed, I walked back to my room. It was two in the afternoon. I had two hours to get used to the idea of a date with my future rapist. Whatever was in the glass Sam had given me to drink was not water. I could feel its tranquilizing effect as the pharmacon worked its way through my body. I lay back on the bed to wait.

~0~

At four, Dawn and Maudette awoke me by knocking on my door. They walked me to the bathing pavilion to get reading for my date.

"Do either of you know what this Commander is like?" I asked.

"He's very handsome," Dawn replied. "Tall, well built. He's much better than many of the men we have to entertain."

"Is he nice?"

"I don't know, I've only seen him once."

"Anyway, he'll probably be especially nice this evening," Maudette added.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because he wants to calm you and reassure you," Dawn explained. "He can't exactly do that if he isn't somewhat gentle. The more he freaks you out, the longer he'll have to wait to..."

"Use me?" I supplied.

"I was trying to find a nicer way of describing it, but yes," she said.

Both women helped me pick out an appropriate outfit, a white silk dress and white flats. The stylist left my hair down, with the front pieces pulled off my face and secured with a clip. My makeup served to enhance my large blue eyes and soft pink lips. I had lots of makeup, but I didn't look over done, in fact, I think I looked nicer than I ever had in my life.

At six o'clock there was a knock on my door. Sam had arrived to escort me to meet the client. Silently, I followed Sam out of the pavilion and into the hotel portion of the club. I was brought to the outer salon of a suite which held little but a comfortable looking couch and a glowing fireplace.

The Commander was seated with his back to me. Sam announced our presence, then guided me forward with a firm hand on my back. He was being gentle, but I could tell that he was prepared to use strength if necessary. I could tell from the look on his face that he hoped I'd make this easy on the both of us. Slowly and quietly, I stepped into the room and made my way around the sofa. I gasped with surprise when I finally saw the man's face. Dawn and Maudette had not been lying when they described him as attractive; he was gorgeous.

"Hello Sookie," he said, smiling at me.

"Leif?"

~0~

"You're alive!" I cried out, rushing forwards to embrace him. "Oh, Leif, you have no idea how worried I was. I thought they'd taken you and had maybe killed you and I was so upset, but now you're here... and you're okay, and I'm so happy because I thought I'd never see you again... How did you get free? How did you find me?"

I practically jumped onto his lap and threw my arms around his neck. Clearly, I was a bit giddy, but Leif had come to save me! He made a little throat clearing sound, and I realized I was rambling. He took both my hands in his and leaned back so he could look me in the eyes. He was wearing an oddly bemused expression, not at all what I was expecting.

"Leif, please tell me you have a plan to get us out of here!"

"Eric," Leif said.

"What?"

"My name," he said. "It's Eric."

"Wait, what?" I was confused. "You're not Leif?"

He shook his head. Slightly embarrassed, I clambered of his lap and stood in front of him.

I stared at him blankly. "Are you his twin? Where is Leif? Is he safe?"

"Sookie, I'm Leif," he explained slowly, in a tone one might use with a confused child. "But my name is really Eric."

"Okay?" I said. "Whatever, your name is... the important thing is that you're okay, and you're here to rescue me, right?"

He hesitated. "I came to talk to you about that."

~0~

"I don't understand," I said, rubbing my temples. "I saw the Nebulon guards dragging you away. I thought you were captured and taken as a slave?"

He nodded. "That's what you were supposed to think."

"So the Nebulon -"

"Were working for me," he explained. "They made the perfect cover."

"You had the Nebulon attack the ship so you could take pleasure slaves?"

"No, I have no interest in slaves," he said. "I needed the Nebulon to attack so I could kidnap you without raising suspicion."

"Why would you want to kidnap me? We just met."

"Technically, that's true," Eric answered. "But, I knew who you were long before our official introduction. And by the way, meeting you in person convinced me that I was doing the right thing by taking you." He eyed my skimpy outfit appreciatively.

I tried covering myself ineffectively with my sheer robe. "Why me?"

"Because I need you," he answered.

"What for? I'm no one important," I argued.

"You are important, Sookie," he said, with a condescending grin. "You're Bill Compton's fiancée."

"Bill? What does he have to do with this?"

"Everything," he replied. "As his fiancée, you're very important to Bill, and what's important to Bill is important to me."

~X~


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for your support and readership! I love hearing where you think this is going!**

It took some time for my brain to process the information I was receiving. Leif was not real, simply a character created by this Eric person in order to capture me and punish my fiancé. A man I'd prayed for, worried about, and cried over - had all been a ruse! Maybe it was my southern galaxy pride, but we Stackhouses do not suffer fools gladly. To discover I'd been such a fool, I'd been concerned for the safety of the very man who'd taken me captive? And now he wanted to 'talk to me' about what Holy Divinity was going on? How dare he!

~0~

""Was any of it true, or was it all a lie?" I asked, struggling to maintain my composure. "Did you mean any of the things you said to me, or were you just having a good laugh at the silly little girl?"

Eric appeared slightly taken aback at the tone I was taking with him, but he did answer.

"I won't deny that some of the things I told you were not entirely true, but there was some truth in all of it."

"Such as?"

"I should think it's rather obvious that I'm not actually a Captain with the Tekton Cavaliers, but I am an army Commander," Eric admitted. "Somehow, I don't think that's what you are talking about."

Ya think?

"Did I mean it when I said your fiancé was a lucky man to have you?" Eric continued, watching me carefully. "I had no reason to lie about that. Bill Compton doesn't deserve you."

"Cut the crap, Mister. You can keep your flattery to yourself," I hissed. "If you think I'm going to have sex with you now, you've got another thing coming!"

"So you were planning to have sex with me?" He smirked. He was wearing what Amelia would call a shit-eating grin.

Pompous ass. I scowled at him.

"Relax; I have no intention of forcing myself upon you." He rolled his eyes at me.

"Good," I replied hotly, despite feeling slightly stung by his words. Not that I wanted him to force himself upon me, but that sure sounded like a rejection. Had his flirtation with me all been an act? Had I been so naively manipulated? Show Sookie a little affection and she'll fall for it hook, line and sinker? I was mortified, especially given the illicit fantasy I'd had about him just a day earlier.

"So, now you have me," I stated. "What next?"

"That is up to Bill," Eric replied.

~0~

"My family will pay my ransom," I said.

"They couldn't afford the kind of money it would take."

"Have you asked?" Surely Bill and his father would help my family raise whatever funds they needed.

Eric chuckled, "No."

What kind of crazy kidnapper didn't ask for ransom?

"I'm waiting for him to make an offer," Eric said. "You see, the moment the news broke that the Sparklehorse had been attacked, there were ransom requests made for all the first class passengers. The rest, we've been told, were taken by Nebulon warriors, and no such requests were made. As you can imagine, the families are beside themselves, offering cash rewards, begging for mercy. Most people know that the Nebulon don't part with their slaves easily."

"I was a first class passenger," I pointed out.

"Yes," Eric said. "But you were also seen by dozens of people being put on a Nebulon ship with a bunch of other pleasure slaves."

Eric wasn't exaggerating when he said people know how difficult it is to get slaves back from the Nebulon regime. Most people are never seen again, and those that are... they are never the same. I shuddered as I thought of the documentary I'd seen.

"But I was never taken to Nebulon," I argued, desperate to poke holes in his theory.

"I know that, you know that, but your family doesn't know that."

"What about Bill?"

"Billy-boy is banking on that," he said.

"Meaning?"

"Bill is counting on the fact that you will not reappear."

I spluttered.

"Oh don't worry, soon enough he'll be making an offer for your safe return," Eric said. "Too bad for you, he's also counting on the fact that the Nebulon won't take him up on it."

"Why not?" I demanded. "They like money, if the price is right..."

Eric sighed disdainfully. "If the Nebulon were the ones that had you..."

"But you have me."

"That's not entirely true either," Eric smiled grimly. "How well do you know your fiancé, Sookie?"

~0~

"Has it occurred to you yet," Eric asked, clasping his hands together behind his head and leaning back against the sofa. "That Bill himself could be behind this?"

"What?" I asked incredulously. I could not believe this guy.

"What if I told you Bill paid me to kidnap you, make you disappear?"

"He might not want to marry me, but I hardly think he'd do that," I argued. "What reason would he have?"

"You honestly can't think of a reason Bill might want you out of his way?"

I didn't reply. I didn't have a good answer. I had no idea what might motivate Bill.

"You don't think Bill could have any deep dark secrets that he's kept from you?"

"What deep dark secrets?" Bill didn't strike me as the type. "Forget it; I'm not listening to you!"

"Sweet Sookie, it seems you don't know much about Bill at all. How can you be so sure I'm not telling the truth?"

"Considering everything you've told me since we met is a lie, I'm pretty confident when I say that I'd trust him over you any day!"

"What if I told you he was the one involved in slave trafficking?" he said, suddenly serious. "What if you were to discover that he owns this very brothel you are at?"

"You're just trying to mess with my head," I huffed, crossing my arms defiantly.

"Maybe," Eric answered with a shrug and a smug smile.

~0~

I paced the room angrily while Eric watched silently from his seat on the couch.

"If he hired you to kidnap me, why are you here?"

"Revenge," Eric grinned evilly. "And I need you to help me get it."

"I'm not going to help you do anything, you a-hole!"

Eric laughed. "You will, whether you want to or not."

If looks could kill, Eric would have died twenty times over by now.

"You are far too good for William Compton, but I'm not here to convince you of that either way," he said. "I'm going to get his money, you'll get your freedom, everyone walks away happy...except Bill."

~X~


	13. Chapter 13

**To Kelly, thank you for your comment, it was truly one of the kindest things I think anyone has ever said about a fic of mine.**

To the rest of the readers, I'm so thankful to all of you who took a chance and clicked on chapter 2 and have continued on the journey with me. It's a little frustrating to see that 75% of visitors don't make it past the first chapter. One can't help but feel a little crappy about that, but your reviews and continued reading sure go a long way to make me get over it. Here's a longer chapter for you!

"I don't get it," I said. "If what you say is true, and Bill really does want me out of the way, why would he ever pay you for my return?"

"Because, the whole thing is very public, and everyone will know. How would it look for him not to pay your ransom after he's gone on every media outlet in the Multiverse, begging for your safe return?"

"Has he done that?"

"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time, hours even."

"How do you know?"

"Because, once your friend Amelia is ransomed back to her family, your parents and the Compton's will notice they haven't received a similar request for you. Your family, and Bill, won't have any choice but to make an offer."

I thought of my parents and how they would be reacting right now. They'd have been alerted immediately when it was revealed that the Sparklehorse had been boarded and Amelia and I were reported gone. I could imagine my mother's anxiety when Amelia's family got contacted with a request for money, but there was nothing about me. They'd have heard the rumours about me being taken by taken by the Nebulon and separated from Amelia and the other first class passengers. My mother would be beside herself, and probably wondering why Amelia's family was getting their daughter back. I pictured my father being strong for my mother, but worrying alone in his study. We had money, but not that much. They would be totally at the mercy of the Compton's to do something. My father hated feeling obligated to others, just as I did.

He'd told me that other families had already been offering money for the return of their loved ones.

"So you're waiting for him to make an offer - which you claim he isn't expecting anyone to accept - what if he turns you down?"

"If he refuses, I'll call the authorities to come to the brothel."

"What would that do?"

"Imagine the damage to Bill's business interests when it's discovered that his fiancée isn't missing at all, that she's been held in one of his own Gentleman's Clubs - along with dozens of other women who have been taken against their will."

"Bill doesn't own this place!"

"Fine, his family owns the place," Eric conceded.

"As if!" I'd lost my patience. "His family owns a series of recreation resorts. They are one of the fastest growing companies in the Multiverse."

"I hate to point out the obvious, Sookie, but a 'Gentleman's Club' is the ultimate recreation resort."

That couldn't possibly be true. He had to be wrong. No way my father would get involved in such stuff, let alone marry me off to a slave trafficker. I told Eric as much.

"Your father may have no idea what the full extent of the Compton's business interests are," Eric said. "Much of their empire is run above board; it's highly likely your father has no dealings with this stuff."

~0~

As I listened to his allegations against Bill, I grew angrier and angrier. I may not have been in love with him, or known him very well, but I didn't want to believe that Compton was anything like the man Eric purported him to be. Eric: the lying scumbag.

"How dare you!" I screamed at him. "You lie to me about your identity, you trick me into caring for you, and believing that perhaps you cared for me too. You kidnapped me, and you've basically admitted you intend to use me to hurt Bill. All you've done is lie to me. For all I know you are the one who does these horrible things and owns this place and are trying to make Bill take the fall for it."

I slapped him hard across the face. I froze in shock. I had never hit anyone before. I had never been so angry before. I was ashamed of myself for losing control. I was ashamed that it had felt good to hit him, even if he was a jerk that deserved it. I stomped away from him and threw myself onto the floor in the corner, facing away from him.

I couldn't help but wonder if there was any truth to what Eric had claimed. If this place really was owned by Bill and his family, had my father had any idea? Had he willingly agreed to marry me into that situation

because he stood to gain from it financially? I already knew my parents were willing to force me to marry someone that I didn't love, was it that much of a stretch to marry me into a family with no ethics? Someone was lying; Eric or Bill. I didn't know what to think, or believe. I collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

"I might not have been entirely truthful with you Sookie, but I didn't lie about most things. Someday, I hope you'll see that."

~0~

I awoke some time later, lying in a bed. Eric must have carried me there after I cried myself to sleep. I rolled over to see that he was sitting beside me, watching silently.

"So, why not just call the authorities on Bill, what's in it for you?" I asked.

"Other than revenge, the chance to play hero, get Bill's money and destroy his business?"

"You're sick!"

"Nowhere near as sick as Billy-boy, I assure you."

"I don't believe you," I repeated for the nth time.

"Fine, you don't have to."

How he was able to sit there so calmly, looking so beautiful while displaying himself to be so despicable was beyond me.

"Besides, if you do this, won't he know it's you?" Then you'll be in big trouble Mr. Attractive Evil Guy! There should be a rule that evil people aren't allowed to be attractive, it just wasn't fair.

"I count on him knowing it was me," Eric smiled. "What's he going to do, complain to the authorities that I broke our deal to kill you?"

"Getting his money to abduct you, then getting his money again to give you back? That's like icing on the cake," Eric continued. "And the cherry on top of that sundae: him knowing it was me that ruined his life."

"Why go to all this trouble? What did Bill do to deserve this?" I asked.

Eric didn't answer.

"I hope they catch you and put you to work in the drumina mines for the rest of your life for this!" I spat.

"That's not going to happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"How can you be so sure that Bill doesn't deserve everything that's coming to him? He doesn't deserve your sympathy. You might hate me now, but you'll thank me later."

I didn't want to hear it. He'd proven himself to be a conniving bastard. "You are a horrible person and a liar. The only thing you could ever do that I'd thank you for is for you to fuck off!"

"Believe it or not, Sookie, I was hired by your precious Bill," he sneered. "How do you think we knew where to find you? What ship to attack?"

"I want to go back to my room now," I insisted.

"Sorry, no can do." He didn't look sorry. "Tomorrow, we're leaving this place; it's not safe for you to stay here. Once Bill finds out you're coming back, I can't risk him finding out where you are and hurting you."

"He doesn't know that I'm here?"

"No, he's under the impression you're dead by now. Clever of me to arrange to hide you right under his nose, huh?"

"If these people work for Bill, how do you know they won't tell him once we've left?"

"They won't. Most of the people here have no idea who you are, they're all prisoners themselves. That or they work for Bill and assume he has you here for a reason, they're not going to question his motives."

"You don't think the House Master will mention you disappearing with one of his workers?"

"He won't."

"Why not?"

"Two reasons: one, Sam Merlotte is an old acquaintance of mine, and two, borrowing girls for weeks, even months at a time is not uncommon."

"What if Bill finds out and kicks up a fuss." I argued.

"And risk admitting he knew you were here?"

"So you're admitting that you're kidnapping me, again?"

"Would you rather stay here and fuck strange men, Sookie? That could be arranged," he threatened.

I shut up.

"I'm taking you with me, yes, but I promise you, I'm not kidnapping you."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere where I can keep you hidden while we wait."

I glared at him.

"Sookie, if you keep doing that, one day your face will stay that way," he teased. "Come on, it can't be that bad. I thought you enjoyed my company."

"That was before I knew you were some insane pathological liar and kidnapper who hates my fiancé," I huffed.

"True," he said. "Still, you may as well make the best of it."

I glared at him again.

"I certainly intend to," he laughed.

~0~

Eric turned on the holoscreen and flipped to the most popular Multiverse news channel. Even knowing it was going to happen couldn't prepare me for what I saw. After a few stories relating to other events, Eric's prediction came true. There was a

tear-stricken Amelia speaking about our ordeal begging for my return. My mother and father were there, talking about how sweet and innocent I was - how I wasn't cut out for life in the pleasure trade - as if anyone was, really. Bill and his family looked appropriately grim, promising millions for my safe return. He certainly looked upset, saying all the things one might expect a man who was missing a fiance to say. Knowing the true extent of our relationship, it was weird to see him so distraught. Eric watched with a smug look of satisfaction on his face.

"Bill's one hell of an actor," he said. Fucker.

I crumpled on the bed in tears. I missed my friends and family, my life, my freedom. I wanted out of this place, away from this horrible situation. I hated that my current status depended on a man who had lied to me, how my future status depended on a man I didn't know, who may have lied to me. Either way, I had no control over any of it. I'd felt sorry for myself when all I was facing was a marriage I didn't want. Now that I'd been kidnapped, forced to witness sexual displays against my will, faced the prospect that I might be forced into sexual service for the rest of my life, it was worse. Eric was promising me a return to a free life that was in itself a cage.

I cried for my lost innocence, the schooling I'd been made to give up, the friends I'd had to leave behind. Even if Eric was telling the truth and set me free, I wasn't going home. I was going to Bill's home, Bill's planet, Bill's business. Here I had no control over my own life, but I really had no idea how much control over it I was ever going to have. Though I'd tried to deny the reality for a long time, I was now realizing that no matter what happened, I was still being forced to do something I didn't want to do.

Surprisingly, Eric offered soothing words, stroking my hair, holding me until the tears were gone. There was a part of me that wanted to tell him to get his dirty hands off me, but there was another part of me that was willing to take solace in whatever small comfort I could find. It was weak, but I was feeling alone.

In my dreams, someone whispered: "We're going to get you home, Sookie, soon."

~X~


	14. Chapter 14

**There be a splash of citrus ahead. There is also mention of drug use below. Nothing major, just a head's up for those of you that like a warning about these things.**

The next day, Eric took me from the brothel just as he said he would. We boarded a small cruiser in Shreveport, posing as businessman and his pleasure slave. Since most of the men on board appeared to be travelling with a 'professional companion' we fit right in.

Eric had decided to hide me in plain sight. He had my hair temporarily tinted and styled in a way that made it look much shorter than it was. He had the colour of my eyes changed too. He'd succeeded in making me totally unrecognizable. It was a disconcerting feeling, sitting in a restaurant where the holoprojectors were flashing images of my missing face, but no one around us recognized me.

He dressed me in clothes that I never would have worn in private, let alone in public, though his choices were demure compared to many of the other women I saw on board. It was sickening to me. The cruiser seemed to be stopping at all the 'Gentlemen's Club'/Pleasure resorts in the area. Frankly, I was disgusted to see such a blatant display of the sex trade. The parts of the multiverse I was used to travelling frowned upon prostitution. Judging by the number of men (and women) willing to travel to the outer edges of the solar system to indulge their desires, there must have been a lot of money to be made, enough to make the legal risks worth it.

~0~

Upon check in, I was dismayed to find our room had only one bed. Intellectually, I knew that a man travelling with a paid sexual partner wasn't likely to sleep in a separate room, but I balked at the idea of sharing a a bed with Eric.

"You're welcome to sleep on the floor," Eric told me, after observing my reaction to the room's set up.

I looked down at the ground, then back at the giant bed. It looked very soft and luxurious, especially after the cot at the brothel.

"I promise to keep my hands to myself, your honour is safe with me," he'd said, holding his hands up in supplication before muttering, "You know, you had no qualms about sharing my bed last night."

I decided I could always move to the floor if there was a problem, or just kick him really hard 'in my sleep.'

~0~

In order to prevent me from blowing his cover, I was forbidden from speaking in public. He'd outfitted me with a special necklace that prevented me from producing sound. I knew such technology existed, it was used on prisoners and such, but I had never contemplated it being used on me. Sadly, I wasn't the only women on the ship wearing such a device. It made me wonder how many of the girls were like me: captives with stories to tell. How many were simply forced into silence because the men preferred their partner silent and opinion-less, to sit there and 'look pretty.' It bothered me that I couldn't decide which reason was most plausible, it didn't leave me with pleasant opinions about the men. I resented it, but I understood Eric's motivation, although I don't think it would have made a difference if I could run screaming through the ship that I was kidnapped. The people on board didn't seem like the types to care much about consent. Some of the slaves looked drugged out of their minds, while others were lead around in chains and on collars. Fortunately, I was only obliged to wear the collar when we ventured out of the room, which was only long enough for meals.

I hated the ruse, but Eric was gentleman enough to keep the display to a minimum. Though dressed as a pleasure slave, he spared from having to perform in that capacity. I didn't have to sit on his lap, or listen to him make allusions to sexual acts while he was in conversation with other travellers. I could see the other slaves on board participating in explicit acts out in the open, performing for their masters. Even when invited to join another couple, Eric said he didn't share well. When asked if they could watch, he quickly refused. He certainly didn't take advantage.

~0~

~0~

That evening we briefly visited one of the ship's nightclubs where he met with one of his contacts.

The outfit he'd selected for me that evening was surprising. It was made of layers of sheer black chiffon. As they fell over each other they became opaque, but when I moved the layers shifted, offering the suggestion they might reveal more. It was blatantly sexy, but still classy. It was also a dress that I had seen in a boutique on board the Sparklehorse, one that Amelia had convinced me to try on. I had loved it, but couldn't justify buying it. I didn't think it was the kind of thing Bill would want me to wear when he took me out. He was very conservative. I wondered if it was just a bizarre coincidence, or if Eric had known about it; I didn't dare ask him.

Eric looked handsome in black pants and a silky shirt. Not as good as he did in the Tekton dress blues, but they showcased his fine rear end. Lying jerkiness aside, there was no denying the man had an incredible body.

We met a man named Alcide who had been in contact with Bill. Eric was assured that despite maintaining his calm when told the happy news of my survival, Bill had gone absolutely vitriolic the moment he wasn't in the presence of his family and mine. Alcide passed Eric a keychip with hidden camera video of the whole exchange.

"I can't wait to watch this," Eric laughed, patting the pocket where he put the device. "Shall we celebrate with a drink?"

A scantily clad server appeared with a tray of colourful concoctions. Eric and Alcide each took one and clinked glass while I made my selection. I ultimately decided on a shot that resembled a blob of silver mercury suspended in a clear gel. I gulped it back and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it tasted as incredible as it looked.

"Sookie?" Who was trying to speak to me?

The lights of the club were so pretty, spinning and shifting colours with the music. The music was incredible, the bass pumping in a hypnotic beat. I wanted to dance.

"Sookie?" I struggled to focus. I didn't want to be disturbed, couldn't they see I was busy here?

My body felt electrified, my every sense heightened. The music was flowing over me like water. The leather of the seat was buttery under my fingers. The fabric of my dress was silky and smooth against my skin. The hands clasping mine felt soft and warm. I felt like electricity was flowing into my fingertips. I felt the urge to touch everything around me, to rub my face against the warm chest of the man standing in front of me; which turned out to be Eric.

"Sookie, are you okay?"

I nodded enthusiastically. I felt amazing. And hot.

"What did you drink?" he asked me. "Was it purple, black?"

I shook my head and giggled, pointing to the metal silencing collar around my neck.

"Silver?" he asked. "You drank something silver."

I nodded happily. He'd guessed, yay! Smart boy.

"Shit!" He looked extremely pissed off. Alcide looked both chagrined and amused by our exchange. "Damned Ardence."

I didn't know why Eric was so angry, I felt great. It was funny to see him so rattled over a teensy little drink. I put my hands on either side of his face and tried to pull his frown up into a smile. Much better, I thought.

"What are you doing?" He asked. He was so much prettier when he smiled and wasn't all grumpy-faced. I would have told him so if it weren't for this stupid necklace thing.

I smiled at him. His skin was soft. I patted his cheeks, running my hands over his jaw, and dragged my thumbs over his lips. They were soft too, very pink and full. I remembered they'd been nice lips to kiss. Maybe he would kiss me again? Maybe I could just kiss him instead?

~0~

I was burning up.

I needed friction, it was the only thing that would make me feel better. I pressed my body close against his, trying to find a little relief. Not close enough. I crawled onto his lap, facing him. He placed his hands on my hips, his hold tense. I sensed that he was torn between pushing me off of him and pulling me closer. Good. I cupped his face with my hands, leaning in for a kiss. At first he resisted, but I persisted until his lips opened enough for my tongue to slide against his. I could feel the heat pooling between my thighs. I ran my fingers through his hair and my body ground down on his, wantonly seeking out friction. That drink must have been really strong. I didn't normally feel like this when I drank.

I ground down on his lap. I could feel his erection pressing up through his pants. I've never felt one before, and am slightly surprised that it feels so hard... that my body seems to know what to do naturally... It feels so good, I just want to let my brain give in to my search for pleasure.

"Maybe you should, uh, get her back to your room, before," Alcide stuttered.

Eric pulled back, nodding. I followed, whining as he ended the kiss. I could feel the flush in my cheeks, spreading across my chest, visible to anyone who looked at me.

Eric stood, my legs still wrapped around his waist, and carried me awkwardly out of the club. I could hear myself whimpering with need. I tried again and again to kiss him wherever I could reach.

Without a word, Eric carried me back to our room and dropped me on the bed. I refused to let go, pulling him down on top of me.

"Please Eric," I begged.

"Sookie," he breathed. "You're killing me."

I angled my hips up against him, not wanting him to get up. I frantically ground myself against him until I finally reached the release I was seeking. Overwhelmed, I loosened my grip on his shirt. He rose immediately, disappearing into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him.

~0~

The next morning, I was mortified. Even though I knew it wasn't really Eric's fault I had behaved in such a wanton fashion, I regretted my actions and I lashed out at him.

"How dare you take advantage of me when I couldn't control myself!"

"Sookie," he placated. "It was the Ardence making you act that way, that's what it does."

"I wasn't in my right mind, and you didn't stop me," I accused. "How could you let me do that? You kissed me... I... we..."

"I let you?" he replied. "Says the woman who climbed me like a tree and wouldn't let go."

Yes. No. Well...

"You realize that you were the one treating me like a personal sex toy, right?" he said. "I kept my hands to myself, which is an extremely difficult thing to do when an attractive woman is using your body to satisfy her most basic urges."

I threw a pillow at him. "It was against my will."

"Sookie, you might be embarrassed and frustrated because you had no control over yourself," he said calmly. "I understand that, but trust me, it could have been much worse."

Apparently Ardence was an aphrodisiac renowned for it's prurient, euphoric properties. One whose sides effects only grow more intense the longer it goes... untreated.

"Some might say I did you a favour."

"You're a jerk!"

"You were the one that attacked me, lover," he teased. "I was a total gentleman."

I scoffed in response.

"I'd say, 'you're welcome,' but I don't think you'd appreciate that," he grinned. _He grinned. _

"Would you have preferred I left you like that? Let you find another man to rub yourself against?"

I wouldn't have, would I?

"You could have let me take care of it, you know... myself!"

"I thought I kind of did!" he laughed.

I let out a frustrated yowl.

~X~

A/N: I struggled with this chapter and re-wrote it's whole content a few times, so I'm sorry if it has disjointed flow.


	15. Chapter 15

Later that day, I swallowed my pride. "I'm sorry about this morning," I said. "I know I kind of freaked out."

"Kind of?"

"Forget it," I huffed.

"No, no, Sookie, I get it," Eric said, muting the holoscreen and focusing his attention on me.

"I'm not... like that."

"I know you weren't yourself, it was the pharmacon," he said. Eric could be nice guy when he wanted to. I hated it.

"I don't usually go around... dry-humping my kidnapper."

His jaw tensed. Whatever tension had disappeared was back with a vengeance.

"About that," he said.

"I don't really want to talk about it," I said hastily, cutting him off.

Ugh. Why did I feel guilty pointing out that I'm a hostage to my abductor? What did they call that condition people get, Stockholm Syndrome? Why did the man who was holding me hostage have to be so hot, and kissable. Why did I have to receive my first non-self-induced orgasm from the man holding me captive? I imagined Amelia asking me for all the details. With a butt like that, who cares if he kidnapped you? I was officially a deranged mess.

~0~

Eric and I settled into a pattern of sorts. We'd order in breakfast, and sit together in our room, eating and watching newscasts on the holoscreen. I'd never really been one for current events, too busy with my schooling and watching infotainment programs. I was shocked to learn some of the things that were happening in the Multiverse with little or no recourse. Eric found my habit of talking back to stupid reporters comical. After our repast, Eric would disappear to do whatever mysterious things he did during the day. He said he was working, though no amount of poking or prodding got him to open up about it. I assumed that was so that I couldn't reveal his secrets when he sold me back to Bill.

While he was out of our room, I was left to my own devices, which was pretty boring. Eric loaned me his personal tablet - communication services disconnected, of course. I read some of the books in his collection, which were quite a change of pace when compared to my institute reading list and mindless romances. At school, I hadn't had much time for recreational reading, and when I did, I wasn't interested in anything too heavy. Eric, on the other hand, read mostly classical literature, biographies and histories.

When he returned in the evenings, we would eat dinner together. If we went out, I was stuck in pleasure slave garb and the silencing necklace. If we took room service, which we did most of the time, we would discuss the books I'd read, what we liked and didn't like, what we thought the author's intentions were.

~0~

One morning, I discovered a book called 'The Story of O.' I'd heard others go on about how it was a classic, so I was stunned to discover that it was basically pornography masquerading as prose. When Eric came back that night and asked what I'd read that day, I told him he was a total pervert for having a book like that.

"Did you not visit that room in the brothel, Sookie?" Eric asked. "The white room with the platform and swing?"

I blushed profusely, he was referring to same room that featured in my very illicit dream about his alter ego Leif. "What about it?"

"I'm sure that room was filled with the very implements referred to in the book."

"I saw no such things!" I insisted. "That room was empty when viewed it."

"Pity for you," he smirked.

"Hardly!" I gasped. "I mean, really? Who would want to do such horrible, depraved things to someone they loved?" I said. "And in the end she completely gives herself away, what was the point?"

"For someone that thought the book was perverted, I'm surprised you finished reading it," he commented.

"I couldn't believe people wrote that kind of thing. I had to keep reading to see how much more insane it could get!"

"What if the point of the story wasn't so much that O enjoyed the things she did, or that she truly found them erotic. Maybe the point was to show that O loved her partner so much, she was willing to submit to the most degrading behaviour as a gift to him," Eric argued.

"And giving herself up was the ultimate sacrifice?"

"The only thing a person really has is their self, right? To love someone else more than you love your own self, to give up the one thing you have to demonstrate how deep your love is? Perhaps the author thought that was the most romantic thing she could do."

Hmmm. I was skeptical, but then, I'd never been in love. I'd never even thought I'd loved someone. Maybe when you truly love someone, it makes you happy to do what makes them happy - even if it isn't what you'd want for yourself.

I certainly didn't feel that way about Bill.

~X~

A/N: I apologize for the short chapter, but it was this or agonize what would happen next for days and no updates for you. Hopefully my muse will be more cooperative tomorrow.


	16. Chapter 16

"Why haven't you shown me the video of Bill reacting to your ransom request?" I asked one night during dinner, after glass or two of wine had given me sufficient courage.

"You don't need to see it," Eric answered quietly.

"More like you don't want me to know you've being lying about everything the whole time," I said, petulantly.

A muscle in Eric's jaw ticked. I'd riled the sleeping dog. Why was I constantly baiting him? I wasn't sure if it was because I wanted him to admit this was all a scam, or because I wanted him to find a way to convince me for once and for all. Maybe I had a death wish?

"You keep saying you're doing this for revenge, that Bill deserves what's coming to him. You know I don't believe you. Why won't you give me proof?"

Eric gritted his teeth. "Don't play games with me, little girl," he hissed, leaning across the table menacingly. "You won't win."

I didn't like talking down to me like a child. I was growing impatient with the people in my life using me for their own gain. I was mad at myself for not asking enough questions of people when I had the chance. I was sick of being blind-sided and told what to do. I looked at him expectantly. In that moment, I refused to be intimidated. "I'm waiting."

"Fine," Eric spat, standing up from the table and pacing the length of our small room. "Have you ever wondered why was Bill so old when you were betrothed?"

"I don't know, the family couldn't find someone that fit their criteria?"

"You truly believe that in the previous seven years they hadn't had another offer, a family like the Compton's?"

"Are you suggesting he was betrothed before, so what? These agreements get broken all the time; families fall out of grace with each other, better offers come."

"I'm not suggesting it, Sookie. I know it."

"Okay, who was he betrothed to?"

~0~

I listened in shock as Eric explained that his own sister had been married to Bill. Not betrothed, but married.

"She was pregnant," he added, glumly.

"What happened to her?"

"He killed her."

"Bill killed your sister?"

"Killer her, had her killed. Same difference."

I didn't want to believe it. Kidnapping was one thing, but killing your pregnant wife? Based on the Bill I knew, I'd have said no, but I've had also claimed he'd never been married. I'd never bothered asking him about his past relationships. He might have told me himself, I supposed. Had my parents been aware? How could they neglect to mention that detail? It wouldn't have been a dealbreaker, but it would have been nice to know. I really had no idea what Bill was truly capable of.

"Why would he do that?"

"Love," Eric said, simply.

"If he loved her, why would he have her killed?" I demanded. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I never said he loved my sister," Eric replied coldly. "She wasn't in love with him either, theirs was an arranged marriage, like yours."

"Oh."

"You see, the one woman Bill truly wanted to marry, she'd been married off to someone else. Her family didn't think he had the finances to support her," Eric explained. "He agreed to marry my sister. We thought all was well. A few years passed, and my sister became pregnant. Our families were ecstatic."

"What happened?"

"His true love's husband was killed in the war."

I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "You think Bill figured her family would let him marry their daughter now that she had her dead husbands money to live on?"

"Yes, and maybe he'd score extra sympathy as a grieving widower," he said. "All he'd have to do is get rid of his wife, and Lorena would be his."

"Lorena?"

"Yes, you've heard of her?"

"Of course, I've met her every time I've visited Bill. She's an old family friend."

Eric gave me a knowing look.

"But she's not married to Bill," I pointed out. "She's married to friend of his, I've met him. I knew you were full of crap!" This man was sick and manipulative. He'd tell me anything to convince me, right?

Eric shook his head and gave me a pitying look. "Well, Bill didn't bank on other men being interested in her, obviously. Lorena, though she too loves Bill, is as much at the mercy of her family's wishes when it comes to marriage as the rest of you are."

"They'd already arranged for her to marry someone else and he didn't know."

"He killed my sister for nothing."

~X~


	17. Chapter 17

As I lay in bed that evening, sharing the space with the man who'd stolen me away from my life and was promising to throw me back into, I tried to make sense of it all. Eric claimed that Bill had hired him to kidnap me and make me disappear. While I didn't want to believe that to be true, I tried to put myself in Eric's shoes and uncover his true motivation. Eric had revealed, in bits and pieces, a wide range of details that I hadn't attempted to piece together. Individually, the facts my not have seem relevant, but there I lay, thinking about what Eric had told me about both Bill and himself.

I thought about what I knew, what I'd been told, and attempted to reconcile it with what had happened.

~0~

Amelia and I had been taken hostage alongside many others. I was not anyone rich or important enough to attract such attention, nor was Amelia. Bill's family was much wealthier than mine, and while they could afford a heftier ransom, the Compton's were not famous or wealthy enough in their own right to merit a targeted attack of that kind. It seemed unlikely that the Nebulon would board the ship looking specifically for us, if anyone, quite frankly.

While the Nebulon stood to make millions off the ransom and get slaves out of the deal, it absolutely was not their modus operandi. The Nebulon usually took pilots of small transports that had wrongfully entered their air space, or bought slaves from other traders. They were known for their cruelty and harsh working conditions, not for large-scale abductions.

Eric had been on board the ship with a team masquerading as Tekton Cavaliers. Their reputation throughout the Multiverse is superb, few would suspect them of involvement in anything untoward. Whether hired by Bill or not, Leif Nordman and his gang had the perfect cover for a group of kidnappers. All they would need to do is take the captain hostage, and instruct him to have his crew run a drill while they gathered their captives up. From the ship's manifests, they would have been able to identify and single out all of the first class passengers and anyone else worth taking. It would take minimal manpower to run such an operation. Anyone causing problems could be dealt with within the privacy of their room, there was no risk of alerting the passengers to the crew may have had no idea anything untoward was going on until it was too late.

It would stand to reason that the Nebulon had been hired as a red herring. They could remove the hostages from the ship and be galaxies away before an alarm was raised. Once people believed their loved ones had been taken by the Nebulon, and no ransom had been requested, there was a decreased likelihood that you'd ever get them back. A few months with the Nebulon and you might not want them. That was a well-documented fact.

Arranging to have me separated from the other first class passengers created the impression I'd been taken as a pleasure slave. It would explain why there would be no ransom request, virtually guaranteeing my disappearance. This would have forced an innocent Bill into action, or achieved a complicit Bill's goal. Given the Nebulon reputation, Bill could play the role of the good fiance, publicly making an offer he knows won't be accepted, meanwhile drawing no attention to himself. His offered up money would be safe, he'd be off the hook from marrying me, free to pursue whatever other interests his has, all while playing the part of the grieving fiance. It was a win-win for Compton.

Eric created his own effective alibi (for Leif, at least) by having his Tekton team to be publicly captured and dragged on to the Nebulon ships. They'd be considered as good as dead and totally discounted as suspects. By making a single person kidnapping look like one of the largest hostage takings in recent history, Eric and Bill had completely drawn any suspicion away from themselves. Eric had certainly proven himself smart and capable enough of planning and executing such an endeavour. Question was: how did he convince the Nebulon to get involved?

~0~

That also failed to explain why 'Leif' had taken the time to warn me about the Nebulon attack. What was the purpose of that? Perhaps it was to keep me from panicking once I realized what was truly going on? I realized that by advising me to stay calm and keep quiet about knowing there were Tekton on board, he'd planted a seed of trust inside me. I had held out hope that he might rescue me, and seeing him get taken had also reinforced my loyalty to him. I had to give the man credit; he truly was a masterful manipulator.

~X~

**A/N**: I apologize for the short chapters. I'd had this story written one way, but Eric and Sookie keep changing how they want to do this and it's frustrating. I'd rather give you small doses every day than nothing for several days. **Thanks for your continued support!**


	18. Chapter 18

** A/N:** I'm sorry for all the exposition. As one reviewer said, it can be a bit "explainy" which is the hazard of reading a WIP I suppose. As a writer, it's much easier to bury the explanation under the surface when you actually have it. That's what Second Drafts are for, right?

I'd like to thank you all for your continued support and comments. Your feedback will make the story better.

* * *

"I can hear you thinking from all the way over there," Eric commented, alerting me to the fact he was awake.

"It's nothing," I answered, irritated.

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be lying there thinking about it. You'd be asleep," he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes. "Pardon me for contemplating my fate, Eric."

"Tell me," he said.

I rolled onto my side to face him. "When are you going to admit that there's a big fucking hole in your plan?" I cut him off before he could respond. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," I huffed. "I know why you aren't showing me the video of Bill's reaction."

"You don't need to see it," he argued. It was a weak argument the first time, and it was an even weaker argument now that I knew the real reason.

"No, I don't need to," I answered. "I want to."

I knew he was going to refuse me before he even opened his mouth.

"You know that if you show it to me, you'll prove to me that Bill is behind this," I said. "You also know that if you do that, it'll fuck up everything you've worked so hard for."

He didn't respond.

"Just admit it."

"Sookie - "

"I know. This isn't going how it was supposed to."

~0~

After analyzing everything I knew about Eric's plan, I realized a few things. One, Eric had been waiting for years for the opportunity to get even with Bill. I had to admire his patience and his tenacity, even if I didn't agree with his ways and means. Two, Eric was a meticulous planner. He probably had a plan A, plan B, and a plan Z. What Eric had not planned on, however, was me. The more I thought about it, the more glaringly obvious it had become. Eric's whole plan to ruin Bill was dependent on a series of events. Thus far, everything had gone swimmingly well. The present phase of his attack was dependent upon Bill paying up, or risking exposure. The next phase involved reinserting me into Bill's life. It would certainly throw a money wrench into Bill's life. Unfortunately for me, it would also be ruining mine.

~0~

"How did you come to be involved in the kidnapping?" I asked.

"He didn't know it was me," Eric explained. "He thought he was hiring Leif Nordman."

"How did you, as Leif, know to offer your services to him in the first place?"

"Bill is stupid," he growled. "He spoke to his old army connections, looking for someone who was desperate enough for cash to make the hit."

"You were in the military too."

"Yeah, one of his superiors."

"He didn't know it was you?"

"Not long after my sister died, our parents died too. I sold their company and enlisted," he explained. "I used my mother's last name. I was Commander Eric Ravenscroft."

"You heard through your old buddies about him looking for a hitman and realized you'd found the in you'd been looking for," I concluded.

"Leif Nordman at your service."

~0~

The plan was to make me disappear. Bill's only concern was that the attack couldn't be traced back to him. He wanted the guarantee that I wouldn't reappear even if he offered a reward. As Leif, Eric came up with the Nebulon scenario. Bill would know I was gone, everyone else would think I wasn't coming back. He could make like the good guy and offer a reward for my return knowing that it wasn't going to happen because I wasn't really with the Nebulon after all.

When I'd first asked Eric why Bill would bother to pay to get me back if he'd just paid to be rid of me, he explained that he would simply threaten to expose Bill's involvement in my abduction and reveal his connections to human trafficking and prostitution. It had occurred to me that Bill wouldn't actually be buying my release, he'd be buying Eric's silence.

~0~

"What do you think is going to happen to me when I go back there?" I asked.

He bit his lip hesitantly. "You'll marry, as your families originally planned."

"You don't think he'll kill me, like what happened with your sister?"

He frowned. "No, if anything happens to you, anything at all, I'm releasing information that will destroy his businesses."

"Aren't you going to eventually do that anyway?" I ask. "You've mentioned several times that your plan is to completely destroy him and have him know it was your hand behind it."

~0~

"Stuff like the existence of the brothel, the details of his involvement in my kidnapping, the hit on your sister and Divinity knows whatever else you have on the guy," I said. "Even if it's made up, the accusations alone will create a public relations nightmare for the Compton's and by extension, my father's company."

"You also know, that if I'm married to Bill, and you decide to reveal that information, not only will I have suffered the indignity of marry some guy I didn't want to, who wanted me dead, I'd be married to a criminal," I explained. "His business, as well as my father's would be destroyed. I'd be tarred with that brush too you know. Thanks."

He refused to show me the tape once he realized that - yes, it would convince me Bill was bad - it would convince me that going back to Bill would be counterproductive for yours truly. I see what Eric has to gain. What I don't see is what's in it for me?

"You know I've never wanted to marry Bill."

It was more of a statement than a question, but Eric nodded in response.

"I've always known, deep down, there was no way I was getting out of this marriage," I said, sadly. "Even in the moments where I thought I was being kidnapped and put into a life of prostitution, I never saw it as an opportunity to escape the course my parent's had chosen for me. While I've been 'rescued' from that situation, I'm being thrust right back into this life I didn't want. Knowing now that it's even worse than I initially thought."

I started to cry.

Eric said nothing, but put his arm around me awkwardly.

"I'm tired of not having any control over my own life," I sobbed.

~0~

Some time later, after I'd cried it all out, Eric was still holding me in his arms.

"When this all began, you were just a means to an end," Eric said. "I waited for years for the opportunity to destroy Bill, and when I saw my chance, I took it." He looked chagrined. "I didn't know you, I didn't think about how my plans would affect you. I certainly never intended to hurt you deliberately and what would happen to you never once crossed my mind," he admitted.

"And now that you know me?"

He sighed loudly and rubbed his hand over his face.

~X~


	19. Chapter 19

The minute Bill put money into the appropriate accounts, Eric sent me back.

All too soon, the captain of my shuttle was announcing that we would be landing momentarily on New Orleans.

As I went to collect my meagre belongings one of the stewards informed me I needn't worry about anything, the arrangements had already been made to forward my baggage directly to the Compton estate.

I stopped in the lavatory to make sure I looked respectable, I knew there would be cameras waiting to capture the moment Bill and I were reunited. If I'd been unhappy at the prospect of marrying a virtual stranger before, now that it had become a multiverse-wide drama I was even more reticent. I knew I had to at least appear thankful that my husband-to-be had rescued me. I hope no one asked to many questions, because at that moment, I had no idea what I would say. I wasn't good at public speaking and I blush terribly when I lie. Perhaps they would interpret my reaction as post-traumatic stress?

~0~

One the shuttle had been docked and cleared, I was greeted by a Multiverse Authority Investigator. He introduced himself as Maxwell Lee. He informed me that my family and Bill's were there to meet me. He said that he and a colleague would arrange to interview me about my ordeal shortly. I listened silently and nodded where appropriate. He walked me down the long corridor to the gate. With each step, my feet felt heavier and heavier. I felt like I was wearing gravity boots. When I finally came to the exit and the doors slid open, I could see Bill, his parents and mine, standing just a few meters away. They were surrounded by a scrum of reporters and camera drones. Maxwell put a hand on my shoulder and gently propelled me forward. I took a deep breath and made my way towards them, trying not to let my apprehension show.

"Sookie!" cried out a familiar female voice. Shortly, I found myself embraced by Amelia. "Oh Sookie, thank the Divinity you're okay!"

I hugged her tightly, as if clinging to her would somehow prevent me from having to greet the others.

"I was so worried about you," Amelia said. "Those horrible creatures didn't do anything to you, did they?"

I shook my head, unable to speak without losing my composure. I let Amelia drag me away from Maxwell and toward my family, following blindly.

"Darling, I wasn't sure we'd see you again," my mother said as she embraced her me. "When we heard you were taken by the Nebulon..."

I understood the implication of my mother's words. They weren't sure if there would be anything to be found. If I had already been used as a slave, it would have rendered me a sympathetic character, but it would have thrown a severe cramp in the marriage plans. I knew that Bill had made it clear to the 'Nebulons' that he wanted me back untouched. I couldn't say I totally blamed him. I wouldn't have wanted to marry a former pleasure slave either. Especially a Nebulon slave. Although, maybe after sustaining such damaged, being forced into a loveless marriage wouldn't be so bad. I gathered that those who did escape often went into the ministry, it was a means of avoiding other people.

"Sookie," Bill said, taking me in his arms. "I'm so happy to see you safe."

For several minutes, we were bombarded with the sound of snapping camera shutters and blinded by the lights of the flashbulbs recording the embrace.

~0~

Once they'd managed to capture the magic of the two lovers being reunited, the reporters fell upon us with a frenzy of questions.

"Sookie, Sookie, did the Nebulon force you into sexual slavery?"

"Can you describe the conditions they kept you in?"

"Do you know what happened to the Tekton Cavaliers who were aboard the ship?"

"Did you witness any depraved acts of sexual violence?"

"Sookie! Sookie, over here!"

Fortunately for me, Bill's father's media relations people stepped in.

"On behalf of the Compton and Stackhouse families, we ask that you give them time to reacquaint with their loved ones. When the couple are prepared to make a formal statement..."

I tuned out. I just wanted to go be alone for a good long while.

~0~

The Compton estate was in one of the more luxurious cities on planet New Orleans. There was a large main house, and several smaller guest lodgings on the property. The place was decorated luxuriously, with a tennis court, swimming pool, and countless other amenities. It was exactly what one would expect the owners of a large recreational resort consortium would have. The guest houses were larger than my parent's home in Bon Temps. It was evident that his family had more wealth than ours.

"Must be nice," my father murmured as we drove through the front gates. He said this every time we visited, smiling ruefully. "Things are going well in the pleasure tourism industry."

"More like sex tourism," I muttered under my breath. My parents had shared a questioning look at my observation, but refrained from making me repeat myself.

~0~

Once inside the house, I wanted to run to my room and hide. Sadly, I had play nice with everyone for a few minutes first.

The families gathered in the living room, where Mrs. Compton addressed me properly for the first time. She was a snooty older woman with bottle red hair. She had a smooth face and crepey neck, the common trait of a woman who's had facial enhancement surgery. She'd clearly been tweaked since the last time I'd seen her. I tried not to stare at how unnatural it looked.

"Goodness girl, you've given us quite the scare," she said. "I do hope you don't have any more adventures planned before the wedding."

I loved how she managed to make it sound as if I'd planned my own kidnapping as a means of ruining her social calendar. I could only hope this was her way of admitting that she'd worried about me. Mrs. Compton didn't strike me as the type of women who thought it appropriate to show much emotion in public. Thought that may have simply been a limitation caused by her many facial enhancements.

"Mr. and Mrs. Compton, I want to thank you so much for helping make the arrangements for my return."

"Nonsense, you're worth every penny," Mr. Compton said, smiling at me. He was a handsome man, kind-faced, with a slightly off-colour sense of humour and a youthful twinkle to his eye. He seemed to have no pretentions at all, which was probably one of the things that made him such a successful businessman. It dismayed me to think he was involved in slave trafficking. He'd always been so kind to me. I couldn't quite reconcile him with the woman who was his wife, but who knows.

Lorena, was there too, and she greeted me more warmly than she had in the past. I wasn't sure what to think, given the new information I had about her history with Bill. Her husband wasn't present, and I wondered if that was of any significance to Bill's plan to get rid of me.

"The media are vultures," Mrs. Compton remarked. "I'm so glad we have a gated property. Security already shot down a camera drone trying to get images of inside the house. Imagine if we had no protection at all. The neighbours must hate us."

"They don't hate us," her husband replied. "Even if they do, who cares? It's their own greed to hear salacious stories that's putting the cameras on their lawns!"

I supposed for everyone other than Amelia and myself, who had been kidnapped, this was just an exciting event to be gossiped about. Of course, they'd been concerned for our safe return, but it was clearly beyond their comprehension that there was more to it than the inconvenience of being away from your family for a few days, or having reporters invade your neighbourhood. I wondered if any of them had truly asked Amelia if she was okay?

~0~

The next morning, we were all seated around the breakfast table. Bill was reading something on his personal tablet, while our mother's sat gossiping about something or other. Neither of our father's were present, presumably at work. I was watching the holoscreen. One of the reporters did a story about legalizing prostitution on off-planet ports in the Multiverse, as a means of reducing human trafficking, and I snorted.

"The Authority are fools if they think that is a good idea," I commented. "Though they probably wouldn't know a good idea if it walked up to them and knocked on their front door."

Bill glanced at me briefly before huffing dismissively and going back to his reading. He didn't say he agreed or disagreed. He didn't bother to correct what might have been ignorance on my part. He certainly didn't confirm or deny whether or not he shared my sentiment, or claim to appreciate my attempt to understand current affairs. I might as well have been sitting there on my own. Eric would have at least laughed at my anti-authority dig. Despite his knack for being a total jerk, he made a pleasant breakfast companion. He never got impatient or angry when I expressed my views - even if I was horribly misinformed. He certainly never huffed dismissively at me. I would have been nice to be able to share something similar with the person you are supposed to spend the rest of your life with. I mean, who wants to eat breakfast with someone who finds it bothersome if you utter a word?

~X~


	20. Chapter 20

Amelia and I finally had some alone time to talk. She assured me that she'd been okay. "It was likely being on a really boring cruise. They didn't mistreat us or anything. Still, I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

She smiled at me. "It's hard to believe everything that's happened in the last little while, maybe life throws this crazy stuff at you to put things into context, huh?"

"I guess," I answered. Personally, I could do with out that kind of crazy in my life.

"I mean, just a week ago, you were on your way to get married and it seemed like the worst thing in the world," she babbled. "Then we get abducted... you were taken to be a sex slave... I mean, the whole marrying Bill thing mustn't seem so bad after that?"

When you put it that way, I supposed it wasn't. Still didn't mean I wanted to do it though.

"We were all so worried, Sookie," she continued. "I know I was hard on Bill during your betrothal, but I have to say, he's been so great during this ordeal."

I snorted at that.

"Really," she said seriously. "You should have seen him."

I listened while she gushed on and on about Bill being so strong and supportive to everyone while I was gone. He'd been a pillar of strength for my mother and father, assuring them that I was fine and that he'd do whatever he could to get me back. It was clear she'd been won over by his behaviour. He'd been so lovely and kind to her too, wasn't that such a surprise? Considering he was the one who'd arranged for her to be ripped off that ship and cost her parents hundreds and thousands of dollars for her return, making nice was literally the least he could do in that situation. Prick. His sweetness could only be explained by two things: a guilty conscience or a sociopath's charm. I knew where my vote lay.

"But you, you're okay?" she asked. My poor Amelia. She'd been through an ordeal of her own, and here she was worrying about me. I felt bad misleading her. For now, it was better for her to think I was simply too traumatized to talk about what had happened than outright lie to her or tell her truth.

I nodded somberly. "I promise, I'm fine. I just don't want to think about the wedding right now."

She nodded understandingly.

"I know you said they didn't... touch you," she continued. "And I don't know how a survivor of sexual trauma is supposed to behave... I just want you to know that you can trust me, to talk to me about anything."

For all her folly, her dramatics, her devil may care attitude, there was definitely substance below her surface. We wouldn't have been friends if there weren't. I still felt guilty that I couldn't let her in on the real deal. Maybe I could try a little of the truth?

"Would you believe me if I told you nothing happened?" I asked. "I was left alone, mostly." That was true. At the brothel, I'd spent much of my time in my room, and with Eric, I'd spend large portions of the day by myself. "I read, watched the holoscreen. I didn't really see other people." That wasn't a lie either, I only saw one person.

"They were kind to me, kept me fed," I revealed. "There isn't much to say."

"Everyone expects you to have some big scary story, huh?" she reflected. "It almost a bit of a let-down to not have some exciting details to share."

It was true. Everyone, my parents, the reporters, even Bill seemed to expect some epic tale. I wasn't about to make up a conflated story to appease everyone else and confuse myself. Keep it simple, I'd decided. Stick as close to the truth as possible, while revealing as little as possible.

"I was lucky, no one hurt me or touched me against my will." Nope, only touching that occurred had been voluntary, I thought, recalling the crazy night with the Ardence.

"I thought the Nebulon were supposed to be these sadistic superfreaks that destroyed everything they touched," Amelia said.

"I don't doubt that they are, but they left me alone. Maybe if they'd taken me to Nebulon it would have been different."

~0~

"Do you have any idea what happened to Leif or Tray?" she asked. "Do you think they're alive?" Her eyes watered as she thought of the handsome Tekton.

"I'm pretty sure they're not," I answered. I felt bad, but she was crying over someone that never existed in the first place. "I'm sorry Amelia, I didn't mean to sound so harsh," I apologized.

"No, no, you're right," she said, wiping away her tears. "I know everyone wasn't as lucky as us. I feel so bad about the others."

"What others?" I asked. I realized immediately that I'd made a mistake. All those other people that the Nebulon had taken and weren't asking for ransom. Fucking Eric.

"The other dozens of people that were taken on that ship with you?" Amelia was watching me, concern plain on her face.

"I don't know, I was put in a different room from them from the get go," I said. "I guess I sort of blocked it out."

Amelia looked skeptical. I prayed to the Divinity that she would let it go.

"I just... I really miss Tray," she admitted.

"I know you do," I replied.

"I'd invited him to your wedding, you know?"

"You did?"

"Yeah," Amelia had a sad smile on her face now. "I know he won't be coming now, obviously, but he'd said he'd come."

Amelia dated a lot, but she didn't go on 'dates.' For her to invite a man to my wedding was a big deal for her. I felt bad that it wasn't going to happen, that it was built on lies.

"Do you think he'd have worn his dress blues?" I asked, trying to keep our conversation light.

"Are you kidding? That's the only reason I asked!"

We laughed.

"What about Leif, do you miss him?"

I shrugged. It was too painful to think about.

~X~


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks to those of you that continue to read and review. I love your speculation! To those that have threatened to quit reading if I marry Sookie to Bill, please remember, this is an Eric/Sookie story! Hope you continue to enjoy where this goes...**

* * *

That afternoon, we went out for lunch with Lorena. I had a few things I wanted to ask her about, namely trying to figure out if she had any knowledge of Bill's involvement in the abduction attempt.

"Was Bill married before?" I asked, once we'd been seated. I tried unsuccessfully for casual, given how Amelia's head shot up from the menu she'd been perusing. She was clearly confused by my seemingly out of nowhere question. Lorena, on the other hand, looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"I've always felt too shy to ask Bill about his past, and now that we're about to be married... You've known him for so long, I thought maybe you'd be able to tell me about him," I said with an apologetic smile. I looked between the two women as innocently as possible.

"Oh, well," Lorena stuttered. "Yes... I thought you knew."

"No, actually," I answered. "I guess it just sort of occurred to me that he was a bit older when we were betrothed."

Amelia was definitely intrigued. "What happened?" she asked. "Did they divorce?"

Lorena looked uncomfortable, uncertain what she should reveal. "She uh... she passed away," she said softly. "It was terribly sad." She looked rather unhappy herself.

"She died?" I asked. "How?"

"It was really awful," Lorena explained. "Bill had gone away for work, and Pam was home alone."

"Pam? Was that her name?" I asked.

"Yes, Pamela Northman." That must have been Eric's sister.

"Someone broke into the house, they think she caught them in the act."

"Oh." Amelia's eyes were wide as saucers.

"How terrible," I said.

"It was," Lorena agreed. Her eyes glittered with tears. "Especially since..." She censured herself.

"Especially since what?" Amelia asked. Sometimes I loved that my best friend had no ability to discern when other people were uncomfortable talking about a subject.

"She was pregnant."

Amelia glanced at me, gauging my reaction. "Poor Bill," she said.

"Yeah," I added. Poor Bill indeed. What about poor Pam?

"He didn't take it well at all," Lorena admitted.

"I wouldn't imagine so," I commented.

She glanced up at me. "No, I mean, I guess there isn't any one way a person can react to their spouse's death... but he just didn't act like anyone I'd ever heard of."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I'd just lost my own husband a few months prior," she breathed. "We weren't a love match, but I was still shocked."

I nodded for her to continue.

"But Bill was just, it wasn't denial - that would mean he was refusing to deal with her death. More like, he acted as if he'd never been married... like nothing had happened. It was really uncomfortable for everyone for a while."

"She was thrilled to be having a baby," she continued. "I was so jealous."

I took Lorena's hand in mine and squeezed it gently. "You'd been trying?"

She nodded. "I'd love to be a mother of course, but at the time... it was one of the conditions of my pre-nuptial agreement. I wouldn't get any spousal support if we hadn't had children. When my husband was killed I was left without any financial assistance. It all reverted back to his family. I had to marry again quickly. It was hard enough going through the whole arranged marriage once... let alone a second time."

Judging by her reaction, if Bill had arranged for his wife to be killed so he could be with Lorena, I don't think that she knew it, or had anything to do with it. I gulped. Bill had killed Pam to be with Lorena, and she wouldn't have been able to be with him anyhow. The whole story was terrible. "Are you still trying?"

"No," she said. "This marriage doesn't have the same stipulations."

I wondered if Bill knew that.

"How is your marriage, may I ask?"

Lorena looked sad, tears welling up in her eyes.

"We're separating."

"I'm sorry."

"He cheated," she revealed.

"That's awful," I offered.

"How did you find out?" Amelia asked.

"Someone sent me pictures," Lorena said.

"Who? A jilted husband?" I had a pretty good idea who would send them, the only person who would benefit from Lorena's divorce.

"I honestly have no idea who it was, I guess I should thank them." Lorena shrugged. "It wasn't a husband though... I know that much. The woman was a prostitute."

Amelia looked scandalized while I feigned shock.

"He says he was set up," Lorena spat. "He was off on a boy's weekend with Bill and some of their old friends from the military."

I was willing to bet I knew exactly where they'd gone for the weekend. I'd even go as far as wagering that I'd been there myself.

"It really is," she said, wiping her eyes. "At least this time there was a provision in the agreement that if he was unfaithful, he had to pay a hefty penalty. There was no way my father was letting me get caught with nothing from this marriage."

It made sense, after being burned the first time, her father would want to make sure he wasn't putting his daughter through an endless parade of marriages that didn't make him any money either.

"I'm so sorry," I said.

"The worst part is, I actually liked this one," she admitted. "Bill had been warning me he was no good, but I just didn't want to listen."

Of course Bill thought he was no good, he was stealing away his would-be wife!

~0~

"Can you believe it?" Amelia remarked later, when we were alone. "Bill was married!"

"It's crazy."

"His family didn't tell you?"

"If they mentioned it to my parents, they never told me," I assured her.

"That's messed up."

Yep. That wasn't the half of it, I thought.

"And she was pregnant," Amelia continued. "Bill must have been so upset, especially if he went all crazy after, acting like he'd never been married in the first place."

Yeah, upset was one way of describing it. No wonder Eric had gotten suspicious about his sister's death.

"What made you ask Lorena about that anyway?"

"I don't know... I just thought it was strange that Bill was so much older when we were engaged. Not that 23 is old..." I said. "Did you know on New Orleans there are strict rules about procreation?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, the woman has to be 21, and the couple has to have been married for at least three years before they register for parental rights," I explained. I guess they thought that increased the likelihood of a family staying together and producing a successful family unit. Personally, I'm opposed to the government having much say in my reproductive rights, but I can't say I'm not relieved that I won't be obliged to have children right away. I know my mother and Bill's expect a pregnancy as soon as possible.

"That's so weird," Amelia laughed. "You know, on JB's planet, he and Tara were supposed to conceive on their wedding night!" Tara had been our first friend from school to marry. It had been a love match, but still, having a kid within the first year of marriage - it seemed a little much.

"I'm so glad I don't live on Monroe," I agreed. "I don't even want to have kids with Bill in three years... I want to finish my studies."

"Maybe Bill will be more supportive than your folks," Amelia offered.

Somehow, I doubted it.

~X~


	22. Missing Scene - Chapter 15

**Someone asked for more Eric. Here is a small missing scene from Chapter 15. Hopefully this will tide you over for a while.**

* * *

_Previously_

One morning, I discovered a book called 'The Story of O.' I'd heard others go on about how it was a classic, so I was stunned to discover that it was basically pornography masquerading as prose. When Eric came back that night and asked what I'd read that day, I told him he was a total pervert for having a book like that.

"Did you not visit that room in the brothel, Sookie?" Eric asked. "The white room with the platform and swing?"

I blushed profusely, he was referring to same room that featured in my very illicit dream about his alter ego Leif. "What about it?"

"I'm sure that room was filled with the very implements referred to in the book."

"I saw no such things!" I insisted. "That room was empty when viewed it."

"Pity for you," he smirked.

"Hardly!" I gasped. "I mean, really? Who would want to do such horrible, depraved things to someone they loved?" I said. "And in the end she completely gives herself away, what was the point?"

"For someone that thought the book was perverted, I'm surprised you finished reading it," he commented.

"I couldn't believe people wrote that kind of thing. I had to keep reading to see how much more insane it could get!"

"What if the point of the story wasn't so much that O enjoyed the things she did, or that she truly found them erotic. Maybe the point was to show that O loved her partner so much, she was willing to submit to the most degrading behaviour as a gift to him," Eric argued.

"And giving herself up was the ultimate sacrifice?"

"The only thing a person really has is their self, right? To love someone else more than you love your own self, to give up the one thing you have to demonstrate how deep your love is? Perhaps the author thought that was the most romantic thing she could do."

Hmmm. I was skeptical, but then, I'd never been in love. I'd never even thought I'd loved someone. Maybe when you truly love someone, it makes you happy to do what makes them happy - even if it isn't what you'd want for yourself.

I certainly didn't feel that way about Bill.

**_Continuation_**

"Do you like that kind of stuff?" I asked. "Being bound, being hurt?"

"Not really," Eric said. "Do you?"

"No, I don't think so," I said, blushing. He didn't need to know the limitations of my experience. "I'll admit I'm curious about why people would like being hurt, or would want to hurt other people in that way."

"Has it ever occurred to you that it wasn't necessarily the pain of bondage that appeals to people?" Eric asked.

"It isn't?"

"I'm sure for some true sadists and masochists it is, but there is a whole other psychological aspect to it that holds appeal," he continued.

"Really?"

"Indeed," he smiled. "Consider yourself, Sookie. You've expressed to me several times that you feel out of control in your life. You're being forced into a marriage you don't want, you've had to leave your schooling - which you love. You've recently been kidnapped, placed in a brothel - all huge changes for a young woman like yourself. Would it be safe to say you're feeling overwhelmed?"

I'm pretty certain overwhelmed didn't even begin to describe it. "So?"

"Sadly, I don't have a magical remote control that can stop everything and make it go away," Eric smiled. "There really isn't anything you can do to change things... but your imagination can try to arrange the situation so that you feel better, at least temporarily."

"And what would that do?"

"Well, it could create a situation where you have the illusion of control, or you are somehow absolved of the responsibility for yourself. A way of making you feels more secure, safer and cared about."

"How so?"

"Sex is a release and escape for a lot of people. It's also a way of showing love and care for someone, or sharing yourself with them. It can also be purely physical. Forget the pain and humiliation aspect that you associate with the acts in the book, remove degradation from the equation."

"Okay," I conceded.

"Imagine, instead, when bound, you are passing the reins of control to someone else, letting your partner take lead. You are surrendering your worries to them, and trusting in them to make the right decisions, to bring you pleasure."

Wow, I thought. When I was reading the Story of O, the idea of being hurt didn't excite me at all, not even a little bit. But Eric's suggesting that I could be looking for something to hold on to while life swirled around me actually made good sense.

. "I think 'O' might have found the pain and subjugation stimulating and extreme, but I think plenty of people are simply interested in the transfer of power," Eric explained. "Imagine having someone you cared about and loved and trusted enough to put your body and happiness into their hands."

"I never thought of it like that," I said, gazing at him.

He was watching me with glittering eyes. "I think in a situation where one feels overwhelmed, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to fantasize about such things."

So, my fantasies of being bound by Leif in the white room were merely my subconscious mind expressing the desire to feel some modicum of control over my life? It was possible. It was also possible that it was my frustrated sexual desires rearing their head over a dangerous man that I found myself incredibly attracted to.

~0~


	23. Chapter 22

The next day I met with Maxwell Lee. Bill insisted on joining us. Surprisingly, Maxwell and his partner, a red-head named Clancy, allowed it. I guess Bill wanted to find out what I knew and what I was going to reveal. That was fine with me, there was nothing I had to say that I didn't want him to know.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Ms. Stackhouse," Maxwell said. "I understand this is probably difficult for you."

"Anything I can do to help," I smiled. "I just hope I have some information that can help you catch the people responsible for this."

We took a seat in the Compton's lavishly decorated living room. Bill and I sat on one loveseat while the Authority Investigators sat opposite. They took out their personal tablets and began the interview.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about the events surrounding your abduction and consequent return." Maxwell had an easy going manner that made you instantly feel comfortable. Clancy struck me as an asshole, not that it mattered. I decided to focus my attention on Mr. Lee instead.

He got things started by asking me to go back to the morning of the drill, and provide as much detail as I could. I began the story with Amelia and I sitting at the restaurant when the ship's captain first announced the drill. I explained that we'd started back to our rooms when Leif arrived to warn us that this was a Nebulon attack.

"This Leif, also known as Captain Nordman, claimed to be a Tekton Cavalier?"

I was observing Bill out of the corner of my eye. At the mention of Leif, I was sure I saw a flicker of recognition. I wondered if Maxwell and Clancy noticed it too.

"That's correct."

"While the records show there was what appeared to be a group of Tekton on board, our investigation shows that the men in question were not who they claimed to be," Maxwell explained. "The Cavaliers have no men going by those names, or matching the description of Captain Nordman."

"Why would they lie about that?" I asked.

Niether man responded to my question.

"Why do you think he warned you about the drill not being real, Miss Stackhouse?" Clancy asked.

"Sookie, please," I corrected. "I'm not sure I have a good answer for you, sir. Until now, I've been under the impression that they were Tekton. I thought they were telling us so we'd now they were going to launch some sort of rescue operation or counter attack."

Clancy frowned and made notes on his tablet.

"We think they may be the ones behind the whole operation," Maxwell explained. Shit. Amelia and all those first class passengers had been ransomed. Had the rest of the people been taken to Nebulon? That's horrible. Fucking Eric.

"You think it was a way to create a cover for himself? To manipulate us into thinking he wasn't involved when he was?" I suggested.

"That's one theory yes, but that still doesn't explain why they would choose to advise you about the drill," Maxwell pointed out.

"We had been spending time with them on the ship," I pointed out. "Maybe they took a personal shine to us and wanted to warn us?"

"Then why not arrange to leave you both on the ship like the others?"

I was stumped.

"Why don't you tell us about what happened when you were taken prisoner?" Maxwell redirected the conversation.

"Well, first they took me with Amelia and the others. It was later, after the capture of the Tektons - or whomever they were - that the Nebulon singled me out. I was put with what I assume were other pleasure slaves. We were loaded onto the transport at gunpoint," I recounted. "I guess it was a stun gun, because they shot me and when I woke up, I was alone in the brothel."

"A Nebulon brothel?" Clancy clarified.

"No," I answered, leaning forward, as if sharing a private detail. "One of the girls that I met there, She said it was a 'Gentleman's Club,' in Shreveport."

Given their collective eye widening, neither the investigators or Bill expected that.

"I'd wager it was a pretty successful one too, it was very opulent." I glanced over at Bill, shaking my as if to indicate how unbelievable it was. "Fortunately, there was a kind girl there from my home planet who helped protect me from having to... perform," I added. "The poor thing wasn't there by choice either, she hadn't been home in years." I was making it clear that I wasn't the only one who was there without consent. Maxwell and Clancy both made note of that particular detail.

"I do hope you're able to help all those women out," I said.

Bill's jaw was clenched tightly. Perhaps he was horrified at the idea that his future wife had been held in such a place?

"Can you imagine what kind of low-life you'd have to be to own one of those places?" I commented. "Trafficking slaves for prostitution? It's terrible."

"Truly despicable, Miss," Maxwell agreed. Even Clancy nodded his concurrence. Bill remained silent on the matter. I could see a muscle in his jaw ticking, as he refrained from comment. I knew then that Bill would be fucked. He had no idea where Eric had taken me after the abduction. He also had no idea if I knew he was affiliated with it. The revelation had shaken his confidence. He looked paler than usual. I relished knowing that he had to sit there and pretend to know nothing about it, or risk revealing his own involvement.

I also hoped that Dawn and Maudette and the rest of the people there would have the opportunity to make it home safely, like I did. I prayed that Bill wouldn't be able to get to them before the authorities did.

~0~

"Do you know what happened to the Nebulon or Tekton men after that?" Maxwell asked.

I shook my head. "I don't even know what happened to the other people on my Transport," I lamented. "Surely there must be security footage of the suspects... they were all over the ship," I pointed out.

"These guys were good," Clancy explained. "When they took control from the Captain, all the security footage was destroyed. The cameras stopped recording."

"Wow," I breathed. They really were good at this. Bill had hired professionals, that's for certain. If he hadn't made the mistake of hiring Eric, it was possible that no one would ever find out the truth.

~0~

"What happened while you were at the brothel?" Clancy asked.

"Not all that much," I replied. "I was locked in my room, mostly. I spent time with some of the other girls... I worked at a party once."

Bill looked horrified. I reached over and grabbed his hand, as if to assure him of my sincerity. "I just stood around, collecting clothes, nothing to worry about."

Bill sighed with relief. Maxwell and Clancy appeared relieved too. I guess it was easier on their conscience if they knew nothing terrible had happened to me.

"How did your release come about?" Maxwell inquired.

"Oh," I lied. "One day the house master came and said that I was free to go. I got on a transport, and I met you," I said to Maxwell. "You know the rest."

"You never met anyone else of interest?"

"No."

The two investigators looked skeptical. I didn't really care. I'd given them them a good place to start looking for the real perpetrator of the crime.

"Well," said Maxwell, rising to his feet. "Give me your messaging identifier, I'll send you my contact information, and if you think of anything else, anything at all, feel free to get in touch."

"Thanks," I said, standing and offering my hand to shake. "If I think of anything at all, I'll be in touch."

Maxwell shook my hand firmly, his eyes betraying nothing of his thoughts in that moment.

"You should certainly look into that Shreveport brothel," I said. "I think you'll find something there."

"Indeed."

"Clancy," I said, nodding politely goodbye.

~0~

"I'm glad that's over with," I sighed, glancing at Bill. "Though I'm afraid I wasn't much help."

"They had dozens of witnesses," Bill replied. "I'm sure someone will come up with something useful."

"They seemed surprised about the brothel," I remarked.

"Mmmm."

"I wonder why I was the only one taken there?"

"It is odd," he answered. "If you'll excuse me, I have some communications to make."

"Right now?"

"Yes, well, I passed on some business meetings to attend this interview with you."

Uh huh, sure he did, I thought. "Oh, I was hoping you'd be able to spend some time together."

Bill frowned. It was obvious he really wanted to go make those communications - probably to have all the women at the brothel removed ASAP. I had to stop him.

"We haven't had a chance to spend any time alone together since I got here," I pouted. "The wedding is soon, and I know everything has been crazy, but I thought it would be nice to just spend some time together, not worrying about all this stuff."

Bill nodded thoughtfully. "Of course, darling," he said. "I suppose it could wait for a few hours."

"Great," I answered, taking his hand. "I thought maybe we could go for a walk, or for dinner."

"Certainly," he said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his scowl. I grinned in spite of myself.

~X~


	24. Chapter 23

**Thank you once again to all of you who take the time to read this every day. I truly appreciate all your comments, feedback and support. Even when I know that I'm churning out messy lumps, you stick with it. I owe you.**

* * *

Bill and I took a leisurely stroll through the garden of the estate. We were supposed to get married out here in two weeks time. It was really lovely, and would make a beautiful backdrop for a wedding. I just didn't want it to be mine.

Like a true gentleman, Bill held my hand the entire time. This wasn't unusual. Over the previous four years, when we spent time together, he had attempted to court me. I realized that in those years, I hadn't bothered to ask him much about himself, or tell him about myself. I felt kind of ridiculous when I thought of it. Talk about burying my head in the sand.

"Are you ready for the wedding?" I asked.

"As ready as one can be, I suppose," he replied. "And yourself?"

"No, there is still so much to do."

"Our mothers are keeping you busy niggling over minor details, no doubt."

"You know it."

It seemed like a casual conversation between two people...

"How have you been?" I asked. "Everyone has been so focused on me and the kidnapping. How are you holding up?"

He inhaled deeply. "It's been a very... stressful time."

I could only imagine how stressful it would be, thinking you've eliminated your would-be wife, playing the distraught fiancé, discovering the very kidnapper you hired to eliminate your problem had decided to blackmail you into paying for the return of the girlfriend you'd paid them to get rid of; stressful indeed.

I wanted to just come out and ask him about Pam. I wanted to ask him about Lorena and her husband. I wanted for him to just admit it already; confirm that he had been married, that he'd had his pregnant wife killed. Or to convince me that he'd been destroyed by her death and he'd had nothing to do with it. I wanted something that would clarify his innocence one way or another.

Eric had presented some pretty damning evidence against him, but it was Bill's word against his. Eric had proven that he was manipulative, that he was willing to kidnap a perfect stranger and hand her over to the Nebulon in a bid to get revenge on someone. He may have felt bad about it once he got to know me, but it wasn't exactly a glowing character reference for him.

Right now, it was Lorena's admissions about the marriage and revelations about her husband's affair that gave credence to Eric's claims. Bill was in a position where he could have set Lorena's husband up, and sent her the pictures. He had the most to gain from my disappearance and her divorce.

In that moment, I wished I could just run away; go back to school and my old life like nothing had ever happened. It wasn't even about the marriage, really. Years ago, I'd accepted early on that it was something I was expected to do... what concerned me most was that I was supposed to marry someone who was turning out to be a terrible person.

~0~

I thought back to the conversation I'd had with Eric that night after I'd confronted him and he'd revealed everything about Pam and Lorena and Bill. I thought about how angry I'd been, how outraged I'd felt at being thrust into this situation by my parents.

_"You don't have to marry him," he said after what seemed like hours of silence._

_"Yes I do."_

_"No, you don't."_

_"Did your sister have to marry Bill?" I asked._

_"No," he said, shaking his head._

_That wasn't at all the answer I was expecting._

_"She thought she had to, but she didn't," he explained. "She could have refused."_

_"A bring shame on your parents, risk being forced to leave her family and friends, having nothing to support her?"_

_"Why not," he asked. "Maybe being poor and alive is better than being dead."_

_I didn't have a response to that._

_"You don't have to do this," he said. "You could run off."_

_"How would I live? I don't have any money," I pointed out._

_"I'd give you the money."_

_"I don't want your money!"_

_"It wouldn't be my money," he said. "It'd be Bill's. I'll give you the money he's paying to get you back!"_

_"I don't want his money either," I snorted. "You expect me to just leave everything behind - my friends and family?"_

_"The family that's forcing you to give up everything you want for their own gain?"_

_"It's not like that," I argued._

_"Isn't it?"_

_"No."_

_"You could go to back to school, have a career, live your own life," he said._

_"It doesn't work like that," I lamented._

_"Who says?" He looked at me with his intense blue eyes. "What if it was?"_

~0~

My mother and Bill's had decided not to delay the wedding, though it would have been completely appropriate given the circumstances. They decided it would be best to proceed as planned. The amount of media attention my story had garnered had given them the opportunity to put on the social event of the season, an even grander affair than we'd originally envisioned. It would be subsidized in part by various media outlets, provided we allow them first publishing rights on the images. Wonderful.

Divinity knows what it would have been like if I'd gone through any true trauma, as I was expected to jump right back into my old life and spend the next few weeks finalizing the details of the wedding. The dress I'd initially selected: not good enough. I was put through the paces of finding another, this time with the presence of a wedding coordinator who had missed the memo that this was an arranged marriage. Okay, she hadn't missed it, the mothers had deliberately opted not to tell her. It still irritated me to no end that she was trying to make this into the wedding of the lunarcycle, and she had no real intention of listening to any of my input.

I may not have been interested in marrying Bill, but it was still my wedding, damn it! If I was only going to get this one day, I wanted it to be my own.

The whole morning I flipped through the racks, cursing everyone involved in this nightmare, until I'd found it. There, crammed in behind all the other dresses was the one. It was beautiful. It was simple. It was perfect. It had a fitted bodice, with cap sleeves and and a scooped neckline. It gently flowed out into a full skirt. It had been dyed with a soft grey ombre effect. I knew everyone agreed with my selection when even the wedding coordinator wiped a tear from her eye as she watched me emerged from the dressing room. Amelia gave it two thumbs up.

As I stood in the mirror, I knew that this was the dress I wanted to wear when I married a man I loved.

~0~

That night, on the news, there was a report about a transport full of people that had been intercepted by the Multiverse authority - it held a bunch of passengers from the MSS Sparklehorse that had been taken. A second report was about two sex slaves that had managed to flee from what appeared to be an illegal brothel in Shreveport. The women were named Dawn and Maudette, and they were soon to be reunited with their families.

My heart felt one million times lighter.

* * *

**A/N:** Sookie and Eric have been giving me a hard time lately. Bill just wants to talk and talk and I erased a big conversation with him because I thought it was too repetitive. Eric wants to storm the castle, and I'm just not ready yet. I know this is junky and clunky and unevenly paced. Right now I'm just trying to force it out of my head and onto the page. Your comments help me make notes for what the revisions will be - so please don't be shy. Tell me where you want more and want less, it will help me smooth this mess out. Again, thanks for taking the time to read.


	25. Chapter 24

I was going stir crazy. Being trapped in a house with Amelia, Bill, his family and my parents was driving me around the bend. When Lorena invited me for tea, offering refuge from the wedding planner and the mother-in-laws, I accepted.

"After everything that came up the other day, I wanted to follow up with you," she said, inviting me to sit on her patio. Her garden was nowhere near as fancy as the

Compton's, but it was clear that Lorena had married into money. More money than Bill had, at least.

"About what?"

"It really wasn't my business to tell you that stuff about Bill," she explained. "I hope I didn't cause any problems."

"I haven't even approached Bill about it, to be honest." I wasn't sure how to, without risking his ire.

"You seem like a lovely girl, Sookie," she said, placing emphasis on the girl. I didn't take offence to her tone. It didn't sound condescending, it sounded protective. "You remind me of myself at your age."

I looked at the auburn-haired woman across from me. She wasn't much older than I was really, but I supposed after two arranged marriages, an early widowhood and an impending divorce, she had experienced a lifetime in those few years.

"We do have more than a few things in common," I acknowledged.

"I like you, and with you marrying Bill, I know we'll probably spend more time together, and I'd hate for you to hear this from someone other than myself," she began, looking guilty. I schooled my face to stay open, and not reveal that I already had an inkling of where she was going with this.

"What is it?" Short of her revealing that she was in on Bill's plan and she herself was about to kill me, I was confident there was nothing she could say that would make me feel ill will towards her.

"I was around sixteen when my parents started arranged my first marriage," she explained. "I was very smitten with a particular boy, but my parents were having none of it."

"Oh?" I tried for casual, having no idea if I was succeeding.

"We'd long been family friends with his family, but my parents had their minds set on the son of a shipping magnate. Being married into their business was far more beneficial to my father's ship building business, as opposed to a recreational resort company."

"You mean the Compton's?" I asked. "You were dating Bill?"

The look of relief that passed over Lorena's face was obvious. She seemed so happy that I'd put it together for myself and managed not to sound upset about it. "Yes," she nodded. "We were young and foolish, and didn't understand about obligations and business and money."

I nodded to indicate that I knew what she meant.

"My parents insisted I marry the other fellow, and I did. It was difficult at first, but I learned to accept it," she shrugged. "Bill married Pam, and life seemed to move on."

She watched me silently, and I realized she was waiting for me to say something. "Do you still love him?"

"A part of me will always love Bill, but I know now that we were teenagers, drunk on first love."

I had never experienced that particular phenomenon, but I'd witnessed my share of young romance vicariously through my friends. I knew that it could be heart-crushing, angst-ridden and irrational. I also knew it could be sweet and tender.

"I didn't want you to find out and think that somehow I was trying to move in on your husband," she said.

"I appreciate you telling me this, I'm sure it was difficult, but we both know I'm not in love with Bill," I said. "Why didn't you mention it before?"

Lorena bit her thumb anxiously. "I wouldn't have said anything at all, but once you asked me his past the other day, it got me thinking."

I took a sip of my tea and waited for her to continue when she was ready.

"After we both married, we never really spoke of our history," she continued. "At least, I didn't. Speaking to you about it reminded me just how oddly Bill had behaved, though. "

"What do you mean?"

"It was when my husband died."

"I'm sorry."

"Bill was comforting me one night, and he tried to kiss me. I reminded him he was married. He said that he didn't have to be, but I told him no. Even if I'd wanted to, I knew my parents were already seeking out a new husband - I hadn't had children with my ex and had no money, no means of support."

"He left it alone?"

"I thought he did. Not long after Pam announced she was pregnant and then she was killed. He acted so strangely. He put the moves on me. I'd always chalked it up to him being hurt and in pain... people do crazy things when bad stuff happens."

Yes. I supposed they did, like having sexual fantasies about strangers when they are being held hostage in a brothel.

"He said he wanted to marry me, now that he was single. I was surprised and flattered... but like I said, my parents had already taken steps to arrange my next marriage. Not to mention how it would look, him getting engaged within weeks of his wife's death."

I wondered if Eric knew about any of this? If he did, it certainly would have roused his suspicions.

"Eventually, Bill's parents arranged your betrothal, and then the war came, delaying your wedding. Bill and my husband were both in the military, in the same regiment. They became friendly. They used to all go of on their leave together," she said.

I knew that. I also knew it wasn't uncommon for soldiers to take their leave at Gentleman's resorts. How handy it would have been, as an owner, to take your men there and treat them to a wonderful experience. Neither Lorena nor I were fools. We knew what men could get up to, especially during a war. I wasn't in love with Bill, I don't think I'd ever truly expected his full fidelity prior to our wedding. Now that the war was over, I was less inclined to be forgiving. I wouldn't be surprised if Lorena felt similarly.

"When the boys recently went on a 'weekend' I didn't put a lot of thought into it," Lorena admitted. "I liked him... I had faith he could go and sort of behave himself."

I could understand that. Surely there were men who could go and be with their buddies and go home alone at night? Never say never.

"Then the pictures arrived."

We both knew what pictures she was referring to.

"You were at one of those places, weren't you?" she asked.

"I was."

"My husband has always insisted he was set up, do you think that's possible?"

"Yes," I said. "You're wondering if it was the same place?"

She nodded.

She was about to speak when we heard a man's voice call out, "Honey, I'm home!"

Lorena looked at me nervously. Two sets of footsteps could be heard coming down the hall.

"Sookie," Lorena said, as two men stepped out onto the patio. "You've met my husband, and this is his friend, Lt. Herveaux."

I'm not sure I was able to contain my shock at seeing none other than Alcide at her husband's side.

"Hello," I stuttered. I'd met Captain Krasiki before, but I was not prepared to see his companion. The last time I'd seen him, I'd been dosed with Ardence and drooling lasciviously over Eric.

"Nice to me you," I said, shaking his hand. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

"Bill's fiance," Lorena elaborated.

Both Captain Krasiki and Lt. Herveaux faces darkened at the mention of Bill.

"I'm glad you were returned safely, Miss Stackhouse," the captain said. He gave Lorena a kiss on the cheek. "Alcide and I have a meeting in a few minutes, but I hope to see you for dinner."

"That's fine," she smiled, giving him an affectionate squeeze before the two men returned into the house.

"So you're back with your husband?" I asked once the men were out of earshot.

Lorena nodded. "After our conversation the other day, I started thinking about some things, things people have said and done." She didn't say by who, but I'm pretty sure we were thinking the same thing.

"I hope it all works out for you," I said sincerely.

"Thanks," she replied. She was watching me expectantly again.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you going to tell me how you know Alcide?" she queried.

"I don't," I answered quickly."

Sookie," she said. "The moment I said his name, your face blanched."

I shook my head, denying anything of the sort.

"I've been truthful with you, Sookie. Now it's your turn."

~X~


	26. Chapter 25

I pulled out my personal tablet to check my communications. There were bunch of messages from school friends, asking how I was, as well as a few last minute rsvps to the wedding. There was a message from Jean Paulhan. I didn't know anyone buy that name, but it seemed familiar to me. I clicked on it.

When O gave up the one thing she had to demonstrate how deep her love was, Sir Steven abandoned her. I would never abandon you; I would give myself for you.

I smiled.

~0~

(Flashback)

_"I have to go back," I insisted._

_"No, you don't," Eric argued._

_"If I run, he gets away with this," I pointed out._

_"You get to be safe."_

_"Your sister will have died for nothing. You will have risked everything for nothing," I said. "Is that what you want?"_

_"No," he admitted. "But I don't want you to get hurt."_

_"I don't want to get hurt either, but if I don't go back, he gets away with everything."_

_Eric look like he wanted to fight me on that, but he knew I was right._

_"I could go to jail," he whispered._

_"I could be killed," I replied._

_"Is that a risk you are willing to take?"_

_We stared at each other silently for some time._

_"I was willing to lose everything to take him down, even before I met you," Eric concluded._

_"If you loved someone more than yourself, would you give up the one thing you have to demonstrate how deep your love is?" I asked, repeating to him his own words._

_"If it meant letting him go free?"_

_I nodded._

_"Yes," he answered._

_"And If it meant nailing the bastard?" I asked._

_"That too."_

_"Then you have to let me go."_

(End Flashback)

~0~

As the day of the wedding approached, I became increasingly concerned. I hadn't heard from Maxwell Lee or Clancy since the day of the interview. I was a bit disappointed; at the end of our interview, I'd slipped the keychip Alcide had given Eric into Maxwell's Lee's hand. Between that and the information on the brothel, they should have had enough to uncover the rest. I'd hoped they would make contact and keep me apprised of the situation. I supposed they were busy investigating. I was worried what Dawn and Maudette might tell them... and there was no way to find out without raising suspicion, unless they contacted me first.

I was terrified the truth would bring down my own father by association, but I'd realized Bill was far too dangerous and needed to be stopped. I didn't have any ill will toward Bill's family, and I didn't want them to be hurt as a result of his actions, unless they deserved it, of course. I was also frightened that it would get Eric into trouble, but he'd assured me that his involvement was untraceable; Leif Nordman would take the fall. A connection between Leif and Eric would never be made, since they'd been able to destroy the MSS Sparklehorse video footage.

All I could do was wait and see.

~0~

The morning of the dress rehearsal, it rained. Given that the wedding was supposed to take place in the garden, we were forced to move inside. Mrs. Compton shuffled us into a large space that one would probably describe as a ballroom. We were just taking our places when one of the maids came and knocked on the door, asking for Mr. Compton. Bill's father stepped outside, only to return a moment later with a frown on his face.

"Bill," he said. "There are some gentlemen here to speak to you."

Bill politely excused himself from the proceedings and stepped towards the door. Before he could exit, however, Maxwell Lee and Clancy entered, along with several officers from the Authority.

Maxwell caught my eye and nodded imperceptibly. Clancy winked.

My heart started pounding in my chest, suddenly, I found it difficult to breath.

"Mr. Bill Compton," Maxwell said, stepping toward Bill. "You are under arrest for the conspiracy to abduct and murder Sookie Stackhouse..."

There was a large collective gasp from the attendees of the rehearsal.

"For the trafficking of multi-species for the purposes of prostitution, for the illegal holding of persons against their will, for profiting off illegal prostitution, tax evasion, fraud and for the conspiracy to murder of Pamela Compton..."

The list of accusations against Bill seemed ongoing and endless.

I sat down; Amelia immediately was at my side.

Bill's mother was crying and demanding to know what was going on. His father was standing there, fists closing and opening by his side. His face was ashen. I'd never seen him look so old or defeated, it made me sad.

The officers cuffed Bill. He kept repeating that none of the allegations were true, and was trying to assuage his mother's concerns.

My mother was asking my father repeatedly what was happening. I could see in his face that he wanted to tell her to shut up, but refrained.

Amelia was silent - which was extremely unusual for her.

Lorena looked pensive as she glanced back and forth between Bill and myself. She didn't look at all surprised though.

In that moment, all I felt was relief.

~X~

**A/N**: a bit rushed, no? I've battled Sookie and Eric on this, but they insisted. (fuck 'em.) Epilogue to follow.


	27. Epilogue

When the commotion and drama at Bill's house became too much, I found myself seeking refuge in Lorena's home. I needed to get away from my parents, Bill's family and the media who'd been hovering outside. Everyone was a-buzz with the news that Bill Compton was not only part owner of one of the fastest growing chains of leisure resorts in the multiverse, he was the owner of an illegally operated Gentleman's club on Shreveport and wanted for conspiracy to kidnap and murder, tax evasion, fraud, and multi-species trafficking. The media vultures were having a field day.

My parents had been shocked and ashamed. Bill's parents were agog to discover their son's involvement in such schemes. The wedding was off, thank goodness.

I stood in the Krasiki's living room, staring out at their beautiful garden, pondering what was to happen next.

"Did someone call for a Tekton Cavalier?"

I turned and found myself staring up into twinkling blue eyes.

"Eric?!" Without a moment's hesitation I jumped into his arms. I sobbed. I couldn't help myself. I had been through more in the past few weeks than I had in my prior twenty years.

"It's alright," he whispered, stroking my back soothingly. "We did it, it's over."

I didn't want to wait another second. I leaned up and kissed him with everything I was worth.

I was in love with Eric Northman and Eric Northman was in love with me.

~0~

Bill had been taken down in part by his own involvement in a conspiracy to kidnap me... but by a plan set in motion by one Eric Northman, aided by several of his of friends - all people who knew Bill Compton well. His biggest mistake was arrogance. It never occurred to him that the people he was attempting to manipulate could learn of his machinations, nor that they might figure it out.

He had only met Eric once, at the wedding. He didn't bother to pay much attention to his brother-in-law, or he would have realized that his exes sibling was his military Commander. Though they were not in regular contact with each other, they shared mutual friends, and Eric had been invited to attend Bill's brothel on more than one occasion. Bill had been eager to show off his success and power, inviting all of the men in his military corps to spend their leisure time at his resort, which was how Dawn and Maudette had known of the Commander. I won't say whether I approve or not, as I hadn't even known him at the time.

~0~

"How did you put it together?" I'd asked, as we lay in bed one evening.

"It was after Pam's death. I knew Captain Krasiki from training, though he wasn't married to Lorena yet. She had confessed to him one evening that Bill had made a move on her after the death of his wife Pam, and she'd found it shocking. He knew my sister's name was Pam and put the two things together. He helped me confirm my suspicions that Pam's death had not been an accident," Eric explained.

It turns out Bill, one drunken night, had alluded to his wife's unfortunate demise in a way that made some of his military friends uncomfortable. It didn't take much for Eric to have him investigated. Not long after, he began plotting his revenge.

"When I heard from Alcide that Bill was sniffing around for contacts, and Krasiki confirmed the upcoming nuptials through Lorena, they helped me conceive of the plan."

I hated to think that Eric could be so cold, but I understood the pain behind his motivation.

"How ever did you convince the Nebulon to get involved?" I wondered.

It turned out, I'd been under the mistaken impression that they were all ant-like in appearance, but it turns out, that was only the natives. The planet, Eric was proud to inform me, was full of immigrants who had come there following the Drumina trade. Both he and his sister were descended from a line of Drumina traders.

It didn't say much for his family's ethics, but you can't pick your family, something I knew all too well.

That also explained why he wasn't afraid of being sent to the mines - he had friends in high places. It also explained how he was able to convince the Nebulon to participate in his scheme.

My parents had been quite prepared to raise a stink about my relationship with Eric, until they discovered he was the heir to the family business, which he'd sold shortly after his parents death.

~0~

**One year later... (Aboard the MSS Sparklehorse)**

I stared out my room's portal at the twin moons of Einomere, feeling extremely pleased with myself. I was en route to a wedding I had every intention of attending: my own.

It was hard to believe that just over a year earlier, I'd been in this same spot, facing a marriage I didn't want, looking for any means of escape. Little did I know how dramatically my wish would come true. There was no way I could have predicted the events that would unfold. There was nothing in that moment to reveal that the fates had already set in motion an entirely different plan for me; one that would see me having the future I wanted, one that would see me having control over my destiny, one that would see me marrying the love of my life.

If I could tell that girl what I know now, I'd tell her not to fight it.

~0~

"You look lovely," Eric said, as he took his place next to me. "You are more beautiful than Compton could have ever deserved."

"You're biased," I argued, despite feeling pleased by the compliment.

"I suppose I am," Eric conceded, running his finger down my arm, sending a shiver down my spine.

"You don't look too bad yourself."

He was dressed in a tuxedo. If I'd thought Eric in the Tekton dress blues was handsome, I was sorely mistaken.

~0~

Our wedding was a small and intimate affair. I wore the perfect dress that I'd found on my miserable shopping excursion with the wedding planner. I knew it was the dress I would wear when I married the man I loved.

My parents, Amelia, and a few friends from my childhood, like JB and Tara, stood on my side of the chapel. Eric's best man was a lovely fellow named Bob, who bore a stunning resemblance to one Tray Dawson. (Amelia was thrilled.) Alcide was there, as were Captain Krasiki and his wife, Lorena. Captain Krasiki had been instrumental in Eric's planning. Once the captain had figured out Bill was the one who'd tried to ruin his marriage, he'd been eager to assist with Eric's plan to take Bill down. Lorena had been none the wiser. They were back together now, happily, and expecting. I was happy for her. She had turned out to be a quite a good friend.

~0~

He carried me back to our room in his arms, bridal-style.

"This feels familiar," I teased.

"This time, I won't be leaving you in your room alone," he murmured, his eyes dark with promise.

"That's a good thing," I think.

"What would your fiance say?"

"I don't know, that he was a lucky man?"

~0~

I couldn't have asked for a better husband and partner. He'd encouraged me to go back to school, and wanted me to pursue a career, while assuring my parents that he had the financial resources to let me stay home and raise our family, should I ever want to. I might not have been ready for children yet, but let me assure you, when it came to the 6'4" of blonde hottie, I already knew that some day I definitely wanted to.

I'd been able to take control of my own future, and marry a man who loved me enough to risk his own freedom for me. He'd been able to assure me that even if he were to be caught, it was worth it. If all he had was his self, he thought it was worth giving... in my mind, that was love.

I guess meeting the Nebulon wasn't such a conundrum after all.

~XXX~

**A/N: **This story was an experiment for me. I have a terrible habit of starting stories and letting them languish for years at a time, never to be finished. With this fic, I set out to achieve a set of goals: update every day and write 30K words. It happened - with the exception of two days I needed to write the epilogue.

This story is very rough and lumpy. I was forcing myself to post everyday, not to post perfectly cohesive chapters. I'm sorry that you, the readers, had to endure that. My goal now is to let it sit for a bit, then completely revisit and revise. The story began to re-write itself as I posted, which made it doubly difficult. I didn't know what was going to happen next, and was already producing dozens of missing scenes. I refrained from including them, as I wanted to have something fresh to offer in the 2nd draft.

The hardest part was continuing to write when I felt like I was producing a heap of steaming dung. The nearly 2000 readers who never made it past the first chapter confirmed what I already knew. I appreciate so much those of you that stuck it out and gave it a chance. Your feedback has been invaluable to me.

To the guest reviewer who said that it wasn't bad for a first story, I had a major headdesk moment. This may be the first multi-chapter story I've posted in this fandom, but it is far far far from a first story. I'm not sure if I'm rusty, or just a crap writer. (No, I'm not fishing for compliments, I'm facing reality.)

I hope that some of you will come back and give the updated version a chance when it is posted. I promise it will be better.

I hope that you will give my other stories as chance, as I am committed to posting more of what I have amassed on my hard drive in the coming months.

Cheers,  
Culturegeek


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